In Love and War
by lickitysplit
Summary: Meliodas is on a personal quest to find the other Seven Deadly Sins. But when a girl disguised as a knight comes crashing into his bar, she reminds him of the crimes and the past he wishes he could leave behind. A collaboration between DOMinMatrix and lickitysplit!
1. Chapter 1

**Summary:** Meliodas is on a personal quest to find the other Seven Deadly Sins. But when a girl disguised as a knight comes crashing into his bar, she reminds him of the crimes and the past he wishes he could leave behind.

 _Hey Everyone!_

 _Lickitysplit and Dom here! We are very excited to bring you our first collaboration. It was a pleasure getting to work together on this story, and we can't wait to share the adventure with you! For those lovely readers who haven't read the manga yet (we feel sorry for you by the way), warning, there are spoilers ahead._

 **Chapter 1**

"Hey! You can't bring that pig in here!" Meliodas looked over at the shopkeeper, who was hurrying around the counter of the store. "We don't allow animals in here. He needs to stay outside."

"Oh, I'm sorry." Meliodas looked down at Hawk. "Sorry buddy, I guess you're going to have to wait for me."

"Oh, nuts!" Hawk huffed, turning and trotting out the door.

"Did—did that pig just talk?" the shopkeeper stuttered. He stepped around Meliodas to stare out the door.

"I don't think so," Meliodas answered. "I have a list here of things I need, can you help me out?"

A short while later, Meliodas stepped outside to where Hawk was waiting. "It's going to be about an hour," he said. "Let's go find somewhere to wait. And try not to talk to anyone, okay? I don't want any attention."

"Why not?" Hawk squealed. "I thought we were going to advertise today."

"We'll do that tomorrow." They walked through the small town together until they reached the center. Families milled about in the warm spring day, and children ran after each other screeching and laughing. Meliodas sat on the edge of a fountain that was in the middle of town, and Hawk laid down on the warm stones of the town center at his feet.

Meliodas was enjoying the sights and sounds of the peaceful town when two children caught his eye. They were pulling on an old man, who laughed and hurried after them as quickly as his elderly body could. "Let me sit here," he puffed to the young ones, and took a seat on the fountain a few feet over from Meliodas. "There now. Your Grandpap needs a rest."

The girl moaned, but the boy hopped up on the old man's lap. "Can you tell us a story, Grandpap?"

"Yes! Tell us about the old war!" the girl screeched, climbing on the fountain ledge and leaning against her grandfather's shoulder.

The old man frowned. "That again? Your mother says it's too violent."

"Pleeeeeease?" the little girl asked, and the old man laughed. "All right, but I'll tell you about how the world was saved. It wasn't by a great battle, you know."

"It wasn't?" The little boy's eyes were wide. "Didn't the Holy Knights defeat the demons, Granpap?"

The old man shook his head. "Nope. It was love that saved Britannia."

" _Love_?" the children squealed, faces scrunched up like the word itself would spread its cooties. "You're making this up!" the boy whined.

"It _was_ love. A goddess and a demon, in fact. They fell in love, and in doing so brought about the end of the war."

The girl made a face. "How could a goddess and a demon fall in love? Demons are so ugly!"

The old man chuckled. "Maybe not all of them are. Because this goddess took one look at him, and he looked at her, and it was love at first sight. And they loved each other so much, that it made the other clans fight even harder against the demons who wanted to destroy everyone."

"Let's go, Hawk," Meliodas said suddenly, jumping up from his seat. "Our things should be ready soon." Without waiting for an answer, he started walking back towards the store, whistling with his hands behind his head.

Hawk lumbered up on his hoofs and jogged to catch up. "I kind of wanted to hear the rest of the story, you know," he muttered.

"He wasn't telling it right anyway," Meliodas murmured.

.o0o.

"Here you are, brother."

Meliodas swept his hand in a wide circle, gesturing to the field that would be the stage for the next battle in the Great Holy War. Zeldris followed his gaze, and then looked back at him, confused. "Here is what? I see nothing."

Meliodas shook his head. "This is yours, your battle. I'm handing the command over to you. You've been asking for a chance to prove yourself to the king. Now is your chance."

Zeldris regarded him suspiciously. "You're handing command of your demons to me." It was more of a statement than a question.

Meliodas nodded. "The Fairy and Human clans will be here within the day. It should be an easy victory for you."

Zeldris huffed. "And what will you be doing while I do all the work?"

"I'm going to head around them, watch them. I want to see how the Holy Knights attack." Meliodas frowned. "They seem to be getting stronger, and I want to know why. If I can watch them in action, then I might find a clue."

His brother nodded, cracking a devilish smile. "All right, then. But you will not interfere with any of my commands, you understand?"

Meliodas nodded. "As you wish, general." With that, he turned and walked away. He made his way through the demon camp, observing with satisfaction the captains making their final preparations. Over three thousand lesser demons stood ready to attack at the first sign of the Holy Knights rumored to be on their way, with five hundred more who, like Meliodas, were ranked and reported to the demon king directly.

He reached the edge of the camp and stole silently into the woods. They were in the western part of Britannia, and had been systematically burning down the forests there, partly rooting out Fairy tribes and partly corralling the human and giant clans towards the north, where the full force of the demon clan continued their advancement. He made no sound as he crept through the trees, his senses tuned to detect any scouts from the approaching army.

After covering a fair distance, he could hear the sound of marching from miles away. He stopped and decided to find a spot to watch the battle. Choosing to go up, he quickly hopped up the branches of a partially burned oak tree, and perched on a bough. Less than ten minutes later, he could see tiny dots approaching the field.

As they came closer, Meliodas contemplated how strange it was to see them together. The different races, as an unspoken rule, did not associate with one another. This had been to the demons' advantage, making it difficult for Britannia to rally itself once the demon king had ordered the invasion. It was only recently that they had begun to not only band together, but to work with one another, and he found it very curious. Not that he held any ill will towards them; on the contrary, he—well, perhaps admired was too strong of a word—he commended them, perhaps. But the demon race had grown too large to be held in its realm anymore, and the king wanted Britannia for his own; what the king wanted, they delivered to him.

Meliodas watched the approaching soldiers closely. The Holy Knights he found begrudgingly impressive. Most of them had power levels that matched or exceeded the lesser demons; some even could meet a ranked demon and not perish instantly. It was almost a shame how futile this all was for them. They still remained convinced that the demon clan could be defeated, as ridiculous as that thought was.

An unusual light caught his eye, and Meliodas turned his focus. _Goddesses_ , was his first thought. It seemed that way; there was an unmistakable energy coming from the middle of the company. But closer inspection revealed the silver-haired Druids that traveled with the soldiers. Meliodas was glad. Goddesses were an entirely different thing altogether. He would have never let his brother lead this battle if he had thought one would be fighting.

Soon the battle began, and he watched closely how the clans worked together, formed their lines of attack, and communicated among the generals. The tide of the battle seemed to ebb and flow between the two groups, but Meliodas was never concerned. No side's power was limitless; and the demons had a reserve of power that outmatched the Holy Knights tenfold.

When the battle was decided, the Holy Knights ordered the retreat, and those that remained began moving to take cover. He was distracted by one figure that headed into the forest where he was hiding, and he jumped into the next tree to see who or what had the misfortune of going in his direction.

It was a Druid, her telltale silver hair gleaming in the late afternoon light, swishing back and forth as she ran. She pressed against a trunk of a tree once she was well beyond the treeline, and spared a precious moment to catch her breath. How unfortunate for her. She was not nearly as safe as she assumed she was.

Meliodas lifted his hand. He wouldn't even need to remove himself from the tree in which he hid in order to kill her. It would be quick, painless; a death he didn't grant many. All it would take was a single swipe of his hand and—

Meliodas' hand froze in mid-air as her head leaned back against the tree. She brushed her bangs away from her face, her hair and clothes clinging to her from the sweat and heat of battle. He noted the mark of the Goddess on her right eye, as distinct as the mark of the demon clan that was over his own.

As she stood there, slowly breathing in and out, he was captivated; no, it was so much more than that. He watched the rise and fall of her chest, her eyes flutter closed, a bead of sweat that slid from her temple down her porcelain throat to finally pool at her collarbone. Something about her stunned him completely. His senses heightened, but all he could hear was her steady inhales and the thundering in his own chest. His vision narrowed so that he could memorize every curve, every line. A hundred years could have passed in that single moment and he wouldn't have noticed, let alone gave a damn.

His thoughts were interrupted as a demon crashed through the trees: one of the big red demons, with his sights set on destroying all in its path. The Druid screamed and tried to run, but her foot caught on a root and she tumbled to the ground. The demon roared and raised its hand to strike, but Meliodas jumped between them in a flash. His sword was drawn before his feet hit the ground, and he swiped at the creature. "Get back," he commanded, but the demon took no heed.

It lunged forward again with a roar. Meliodas called again for it to stop, but the demon swiped its claws at him, catching him in the chest. He realized that since he had given up control to Zeldris, he would not be able to stop it with just a command. The demon swung its arm, daggers shooting from its grasp, but Meliodas avoided it easily. He jumped into the air, and a moment later it crashed to the ground, its head and limbs severed from its body.

He landed easily and turned to the Druid. She was on the ground, watching him with wide, fearful eyes. Even afraid she was still something incredible to behold. "Who are you?" she whispered.

Meliodas stepped towards her, and then stumbled. The gash across his torso had nearly cut him in two, and he rolled onto his back, sucking in deep breaths as his body slowly recovered. He could feel how deeply the poison from the attack was embedded, and groaned as he thought how excruciating it would be as he gradually healed. What in the hell had he been thinking?!

Before he knew what was happening, he felt himself being lifted. A hand grasped his own. He looked up into the glowing face of the Druid girl. Her eyes were closed, and a faint light covered her like a halo—a light that should have avoided him like the plague. She was whispering, and the movements of her mouth as she murmured her spell hypnotized him. Instantly he felt better, as if the light that surrounded her was weaving its way inside him.

Within minutes, the wound was gone, and he was able to sit up and breathe with no difficulty. The two sat on the ground, face-to-face, regarding each other for a long moment. "Why did you do that?" he asked, amazed.

"You saved my life," she answered. Her voice was as enchanting as the rest of her. Then she laughed, causing his heart to skip a beat. "Why did you do _that_?"

"I don't know," he said, honestly.

"What is your name?" Her smile warmed him.

"Meliodas," he answered without hesitation. _Why did I tell her that?_ he wondered, finding that he didn't really care, either way.

"Meliodas," she repeated. Hearing his name on her lips turned his blood into fire, yet sent delicious shivers down the length of his spine. "Thank you, Meliodas."

The demon was struck dumb. Never, in the centuries upon centuries that he had lived, had anyone ever thanked him, for anything.

The girl sucked in a breath, reaching behind her shoulder. She pulled a needle out, staring at it in horror. Meliodas clenched his jaw. "You've been poisoned," he said gravely.

"It must have been during the retreat," she whispered. Her hand was trembling and she dropped the cursed needle to the ground.

"Can't you heal yourself?" he asked, finding it curious that he genuinely cared.

She shook her head slowly. "Only others. I will need the power of a Goddess for this." She quickly stood, and he scrambled up after her. "I need to go before I'm discovered. Will you be all right?"

For the second time, Meliodas found himself speechless. This girl was poisoned by a demon, and she was concerned about him? "Let me help you," he said, not ready to have her presence leave him so soon. _Why did I say that?_ He asked himself again. He knew he couldn't possibly go with her… but he couldn't just let the girl wander off alone while she was poisoned.

"I'll be fine…" she began, and then stumbled as the strength left her body. Meliodas caught her before she hit the ground, pulling her against him. She was as light as a feather and he lifted her easily. "Which way?"

She pointed towards the north, and he took off at a brisk pace. "What is your name?" he asked her.

"Elizabeth," she answered softly. Her head grew heavier until the poison got the better of her, and she pressed her face into the nook of his shoulder.

 _Elizabeth…_ He repeated it in his head over and over until the syllables meant nothing. But the inticing pang of excitement it gave him every time he thought it was enough to keep him running straight towards enemy lines.

 _What a beautiful name..._

.o0o.

The Boar Hat was bustling, as busy as it had ever been. Every chair was taken, every table filled, and Meliodas hurried between filling glasses at the bar and serving up food. The noise was overwhelming, but he was glad for it. The more people in, the more information he could gather.

There was one thing everyone seemed to be talking about: the Rust Knight. Meliodas kept a smile on his face as he served drinks and food, but stayed attuned to the conversations surrounding him. Some said it was a giant, some said it was a demon, but everyone agreed it had to be one of the murderous Seven Deadly Sins. It didn't sound like anyone he recognized, and Meliodas wondered who it actually was.

The door crashed open, and a gigantic knight in rusted armor staggered into the door. The crowd fell silent in fear. The Rust Knight swayed, unsteady on its feet. "Seven… Deadly… Sins…" it moaned. All at once, the men of the town screamed and ran, knocking over chairs and stools in their scramble to get away. "The Rust Knight!" Hawk squealed, ducking behind Meliodas' legs.

In moments the bar was empty, and Meliodas huffed in frustration. "There goes an entire day's work," he muttered to himself.

Jumping over the bar, he stood in front of the knight. "Who're you?" he asked, putting his hands on his hips. Abruptly, it toppled over onto the floor. The helmet flew off, and Meliodas leaned over to take a closer look.

"What is it?" Hawk shouted, trotting over. He peered down. "It's a woman." It took a moment to register, and the boar yelled in surprise, "It's a woman!"

Meliodas frowned. Her face looked vaguely familiar, although he had no idea from where. But that's not what concerned him. First, she had long silver hair that spilled out around her. He had only ever seen silver hair on the Druid clans; in fact, he hadn't seen silver hair on anyone in hundreds of years. Second, the blue earring she wore looked too expensive for an ordinary girl. It had the crest of the royal family, and that made him uneasy. It was odd enough that the Rust Knight was revealed to be a girl; a girl from a family in the king's court would not go unnoticed. Someone would be looking for her.

But what bothered him the most was how he felt as he looked at her. There was strange ache in his chest that was incredibly familiar. He had felt the same twisting several times since he had first come to Britannia. _It can't be_ , he thought to himself.


	2. Chapter 2

Hello Lovelies!

Dom and Lickitysplit here! We are super happy with the overall response to the story so far. Seriously everyone, it means so much to us that you've read/followed/favorited/reviewed this story.

For those of you also posting stuff about this in our other fics, THANK YOU TOO!

Review time! (Because we love talking to you!)

 _Sunshine-Girl: We are so GLLLLLlllllaaaAAAaaaaDddddDDDD! (Sorry… couldn't help it - you started it...) Hopefully, this was soon enough! *Delicious cupcake left for your enjoyment*_

 _Woundedowl: IT'S THE OWL! HIII! (The Dom waves enthusiastically back and forth, Lickitysplit facepalms at Dom's overly excited nature) Yay for confetti! We're pretty excited about this story. We think you're going to love it!_

 _Jillion Tealleaf: Thank you very much! We're really happy with it!_

 _General zargon: Why thank you, we think it has potential too._

 _Tnw0918: It is isn't it? We thought so too. There's a lot of stuff out there for AFTER the sins meet, but nothing that develops Meliodas into the groping badass we know today. And who doesn't LOVE a story from Meliodas' point of view?_

Now on to the chapter!

.o0o.

 **Chapter 2**

Meliodas walked up the stairs of the Boar Hat, carrying a pitcher of water in one hand and a mug in the other. He entered his room and glanced over to the bed. The girl was still asleep, and hadn't moved since he carried her there a half hour before. He set the water on a table and moved next to the bed.

Meliodas' gaze lingered over the girl. His eyes traveled from her long, silver hair, down her curvy figure, to her graceful ankles. It had been a long time since he saw a woman so beautiful. He traced a finger down her hair, and then leaned in to breathe in her scent. He felt that familiar twist again, and his eyes stole back up to her face.

He reached a hand to brush her hair back from where it hung in her face. But before he could do that, Hawk burst into the room. Meliodas quickly stepped back and put his hands on his hips. He turned and saw Hawk looking at him strangely, so he reached out to fondle her for a moment before declaring, "It's definitely a woman!"

Hawk started to shout a long list of insults at him, but Meliodas paid no attention. The girl's eyes fluttered open. She gave a gasp and bolted upright, and the two stared at each other.

.o0o.

Meliodas carried Elizabeth through the woods and towards the enemy camp. He had paused only once to move her from his arms to his back, and he held on tightly to her arms clasped around his shoulders as Elizabeth's legs wrapped around his waist. He moved faster than any ordinary human would have been able to track. Even though it was still a long ways off, he could feel the energy from the direction of the enemy grow with each step. He tried hard not to think about what would happen when he stepped into their midst with a half-unconscious Druid girl in his arms.

Elizabeth stirred, and he paused to catch his own breath. He eased them both down to the grass, pulling her back around into his arms as he checked her color and breathing. She groaned softly and tilted her head into his neck. Her skin felt like fire, but she shivered in his arms.

"Meliodas," she moaned, pressing against him for warmth. He rubbed her arm with one hand as he felt her forehead with the other.

"We're almost there," he assured her. She nodded again as she was wracked with another set of chills.

 _What am I doing?_ he thought, not for the first time since he had set out. There was no guarantee this girl was going to survive the poison, yet he was taking this risk anyway. And despite this risk, there was definitely no guarantee that he himself would not be slaughtered the second he reached the camp.

There was a prick at the back of his neck and Meliodas looked up and peered into the trees. He had had a suspicion for the past few miles that someone was following them. If it was who he suspected (and he was never wrong), he could not let the pursuer catch up to them. "Come on, Elizabeth," he said, pulling the girl back up. "We need to move."

"Meliodas," she groaned, her breathing labored and voice growing hoarse. She tried to stand, but faltered back into him almost immediately. "I'm sorry… I'm just a burden…"

He didn't answer, but just lifted her again. Making sure she was secure, he took off, turning away from the direction of the enemy camp. It would do no good to lead his pursuer to the Holy Knights now, especially since he needed a Goddess to cure the poison; it would be considerably harder to convince one to do the job if he knowingly led the demon army to their door. He went slower this time as well, making sure he did not make a single sound.

A short time later, he paused again. The tail was closer now, catching up with every passing minute, although Meliodas was fairly certain that whoever it was did not have his exact location. There was no way he could outrun him and not hurt Elizabeth. He would have to find a place to hide. Green eyes scanned the area.

There was a huge tree on one side, and its giant roots had caused the ground to drop off a bit. The demon army had not come this far yet, and the forest was thick and untouched. Meliodas carried Elizabeth's limp form over towards the tree and jumped down the shelf. He gently laid the girl against the base of the tree, taking care to tuck her legs in so she would be out of sight. She turned her head to look at him, her eyes fluttering open.

Meliodas put a hand on the side of her face, smoothing her hair back. "Wait here," he whispered. "I'll be right back."

Elizabeth swallowed thickly and nodded. He stood and with ease, jumped over the shelf, taking off at a full sprint. He headed back the way he came, but moved in a wide arc, trying to confuse his trail. When he was certain that the tail was gone, he doubled back and headed towards Elizabeth.

As he came towards the rise, a sudden shift drew his attention. This was exactly what he hoped WOULDN'T happen. He sucked in a breath as a form materialized from the shadows of the dense forest and his brother, Estarossa, approached. "Meliodas," he called. He walked leisurely towards him, something about the easiness setting off all of Meliodas' internal alarms. "I thought that was you."

"What are you doing here?" Meliodas asked, keeping his tone smooth.

"Looking for you." Estarossa stood a few feet away, looking around. His face was the same cold mask it always was as he turned back to his brother. "I saw you carrying the most delightful little creature. Did you catch something interesting?"

"I don't know what you are talking about." Meliodas kept his voice even and gave a slight shrug of his shoulders. Aloof. He couldn't let his brother see a flicker of emotion.

"No?" The side of Estarossa's mouth raised in a half smile as his brow rose questioningly—he was calling his bluff. "I could have sworn you had a little Druid girl with you after the battle. What did you do with her?"

"She's dead," Meliodas answered darkly. "You should be getting back. I'm sure that whatever your orders are from the king, they don't include following me around."

Estarossa regarded him for a long moment, eyes narrowing on him skeptically. Meliodas remained controlled, unwavering in his brother's scrutiny. A single flinch would mean disaster. "Fine, then," Estarossa finally answered, his eyes the first to break their stare-off. Turning with a half-assed wave over his shoulder, he disappeared in a flash.

Meliodas waited for a minute to make sure he was really gone, before he let out a long breath. Then he hurried back to where he had left Elizabeth. She was pale white, and her chest rose and fell in short breaths. "Elizabeth?" He pulled her away from the ground and held her against his chest so he could examine her.

She managed a deep breath and whispered, "Is… is it safe?"

He nodded, even though she hadn't looked up at him. "Can you go on? We're almost there." That was a lie. They were still barely halfway there. She looked so fragile he thought she might break with the strain of just breathing.

"You can't," she murmured. She opened her eyes then and looked straight at him, a seriousness taking root there that hadn't been there before. Her eyes shone with the fever. "Are… are you a demon?"

Meliodas swallowed. He nodded after a moment's hesitation and her eyes flicked to the mark on his face. "They have Goddess fire… you can't go there."

"I'll be fine," he assured her. Another lie.

She whispered something again just under her breath as her eyes slid closed. She suddenly felt very light, and her shoulders went limp. He shook her, but she did not respond. Meliodas sat there for a long moment, staring at her. The only sound was the thudding of his own heartbeat. Then he pressed his mouth to her ear and said, "Elizabeth. Open your eyes. I promise I will get you back, just please, stay with me."

She remained still. The first thought that crossed his mind was that she was gone. That he needed to cut his losses and return to the army front lines before anything else could come of this chance encounter…

She was the enemy afterall. Her death was of no consequence to him. _Just lay her here and let fate decide if she lives or dies…_ he told himself.

Against his better judgement and rational thought, Meliodas carefully curled Elizabeth's body into his arms, pulling her tight against him, and took off once more towards the north. He ran like his own life depended on it, paying no attention to the forest passing them by, or the distance he crossed. Just the faint feeling of Elizabeth's slowing heartbeat ticking away the seconds of her life, her chest pressed against his.

Tick… Tick… Tick…

 _Come on…_

Tick….. Tick….. Tick…..

"We're nearly there Elizabeth," he urged, feeling the energies of the Holy Knights and the Druids not far from their current position.

Tick….. Tick….. Tick…..

Meliodas made one last bound into the air through the thick treeline and from where he descended back down to the ground, he could see the Holy Knights' camp just ahead, hundreds of tents dotting the open field that stretched as far as he could see.

They had made it…

There was no rational thought as he closed the gap, his heart thundering and chest heaving in need of oxygen as he ran. Elizabeth would be healed, and that's all that mattered to him in those moments. Until, that is, he was surrounded by Holy Knights and a mixture of the other great clans, all manner of weapons bared and drawn on them.

.o0o.

Meliodas perched in a tree, waiting for the right moment to snatch up the girl running towards him. She was being pursued by a group of soldiers, and as he watched her gracefully avoid them, he had to admit he was impressed.

Unfortunately, it only added to the mystery of who this girl was. When she first woke up, she seemed like nothing more than a lost little girl, squealing over Hawk and crying into her soup. But when she told him she was looking for the Seven Deadly Sins, he knew there was more to this story than a runaway. A _lot_ more. She looked barely old enough to have even been alive back when he was a Holy Knight.

The real shock came when the soldiers showed up at the door of the Boar Hat. He only half listened to the demands because he was focused on the girl's reaction. Her eyes were full of pure fear; he had seen the same fear when he pulled out his broken sword to show it to her. He knew that the soldiers around the area were nothing more than bullies in uniform, and that Holy Knights could be intimidating, but he had never seen someone so _scared_ before. Instantly, every cell in his body went on alert. He knew with unwavering certainty that he had to protect this girl, with his life if necessary. A lick of excitement went up his spine, making him on edge and on fire at the same time.

She ran towards him as if her life depended on it. He realized suddenly she didn't see the cliff coming up and jumped. In one movement, Meliodas swooped her up and leapt back into the safety of the tree. He watched with satisfaction out of the corner of his eye as Hawk disposed of the leader. "So, how's the rest of that story go?" he asked, grinning at the shock on her face. He easily dropped back to the ground and set her down.

"You've helped me so many times," she said with a smile that made his stomach flop. "I will never forget this debt; but please, somehow… forget about me."

Meliodas was once again caught by surprise. There was absolutely no way he was letting her just leave. Thankfully, Hawk's mouth came into some use and he started quizzing her about the Holy Knights, and as she spoke, a chill went through Meliodas. He knew first-hand the evil that could happen at the hands of a corrupted Holy Knight. His mind went instantly back to the last day his group was together, and they found the Grand Master murdered. He had already known something terrible was happening in Liones. _But what could she possibly have to do with it?_ he thought.

The world started to shake and they began to plummet over the cliff. Meliodas easily snatched the girl and Hawk and bounded back up, sweeping up the soldier Hawk knocked out for good measure. As he settled them back on solid ground, he couldn't help but sigh in annoyance at the Holy Knight blustering at the top. He had not wanted his cover blown this early.

"Hey, are you awake?" he murmured at the girl.

"Yes, I am," she whispered back.

His stomach twisted again. This too was eerily familiar. "When I give the signal, run to the forest. Okay?"

She agreed, but before he could make his move, the Holy Knight shouted, "Well, it seems I'm in luck! That symbol on your earring is that of the royal family, which makes you—confirmed! Princess Elizabeth!"

The name hit him like a shockwave. He turned his head to the girl and barely managed, "Princess… Elizabeth?"

Princess Elizabeth. Why did he feel so surprised? It suddenly made sense now: his physical reaction to her, the completely undeniable need to protect her, the way he could only focus on her alone since she had stumbled into the bar. _This is impossible. It's too soon after Liz._ Meliodas' stomach twisted and he suppressed a grimace.

The knight shouted at them, pulling his attention back to the present. Meliodas knew they only had seconds left. He took off running, pushing the girl ahead of him. "We're going!" he yelled. They only made it a few yards before a bolt of power flew by his head, heading straight for her.

There was no time for anything else, and Meliodas threw himself in between the attack and the girl. He took the full blast, but it barely hurt him. This Holy Knight was more talk than power. They landed in the grass, and he crouched over her, worried until she opened her eyes. "Yo!" he said happily, turning to check on Hawk. He snorted when the tough talking boar screamed for his mother and ran.

The princess pushed him off her gently and stood with determination set on her face. She slowly began to walk towards the Holy Knight. Meliodas watched her in shock. "Elizabeth!" he called after her. "Hey, where are you going?"

"I won't be able to get away," she said sadly.

"You said there's no way you could give up, didn't you?" he cried.

"If I surrender to him, perhaps he'll spare your life," Elizabeth answered. He stared after her as she walked towards her fate, struck by her courage.

He saw the Holy Knight's attack before he even lifted his arm, and Meliodas was up and in the air. He grabbed the princess and knocked her out of the way of the blast.

Once again, he found himself on the ground, crouched over the girl. This guy was really, really starting to get on his nerves. "Please!" Elizabeth shouted at him as he looked over his shoulder. "You should at least be able to make it out alive!"

"Looks like he's going to kill us both anyway," he muttered. The knight was stalking towards them, obviously angry that they escaped again. He was about to pull her away when he heard her start to cry. He looked back down at her with a scowl. Tears streamed down her cheeks and she covered her face with one hand. He clenched his jaw as she sobbed, confessing that she had tried to stay hidden, afraid to trust anyone, and his mind cycled through the many, many ways she could have met a terrible end if she hadn't stumbled into the bar.

Meliodas grinned as a thought struck him as she wailed, "You have been so kind! I don't want to involve you any further… I don't even know your name!"

She was looking for the Seven Deadly Sins, and she had found one. For the first time, _she_ had found _him_.


	3. Chapter 3

Dearly beloved, we are gathered here today to remember our recently departed Dom. She died of massive blood loss when her fingers all fell off at once from so much typing. She didn't want anyone to know the truth, but she was actually writing 673 stories at one time. She hadn't slept in 4 years, hadn't showered in 2, and hadn't looked at the sun in over a year.

I'll always look back fondly on Dom and think about how she would like to kick my ass almost every day. She never hesitated to speak her mind and was very concerned with hurting the feelings of others. She never deleted anything, and when she was found in her home, she was surrounded by gigantic piles of old flash drives filled with author notes.

I know all of her legions of fans will be wailing collectively because they'll never know the ending of her most famous story, Can I Do Something Or Other, I Can't Remember. But just know that Dom was a sucker for love and it all probably worked out anyway. I will be collecting fanfics of her fanfic for the next two weeks, and will publish them as a limited edition volume to raise money for a charity in her honor. The $4.00 I'm sure we will raise will go a long way to help other authors who write 40 chapters a day and fear their own massive blood loss.

Dom was kind and smart. She used a lot of old-timey words and liked Merlin the best, but we can forgive her for that. We all make mistakes. She taught me a lot about trusting my instincts and writing what I felt instead of thinking too much. She liked to shout her ideas and used the word awesome a LOT. We were complete opposites in our approaches to writing and it's a miracle we didn't kill each other in the first 48 hours. But she was the ebony to my ivory, the jelly on my peanut butter, and always did the exact opposite of what I thought she was going to do. Although I can never hope to have a tenth of her talent, she was kind enough to take pity on a struggling writer like myself. The three weeks I spent bothering her nonstop will be three of my favorite weeks ever.

Dom leaves behind hundreds of loyal fans. I'd like to say a particular message to Ron: the answer was no, sweetie. Dom was too nice to say no, but I'm not nice like her. No, Ron.

Please enjoy this chapter as best as you can through your tears. Mayhaps Dom will resurrect sometime to respond to reviews in a future chapter. It will cause an incredibly ridiculous plot hole, but what are you going to do. Until then I will do my very best to continue on writing this story without her guidance. Whenever I feel the urge to delete, I will go to Dom's grave, trace my fingers along the ellipses carved into the stone, and remember her words: NOOOO DON'T DELETE.

.o0o.

 **Chapter 3**

Meliodas looked down at the princess, unable to stop the huge grin that had broken over his face. Her eyes were locked with his, filling with tears that streamed down her face. "Meliodas," he said with a laugh. "That's my name."

He laughed again at her reaction, shaking his head. He could see each of her responses perfectly: her eyes widened, her cheeks flushed, her breath caught as she stammered, "Meliodas? What… it can't be… but… you look like… a child!"

The next few moments seemed to happen in slow motion. First, Elizabeth's eyes landed on his arm, now bare where his shirt had been blasted away. "That symbol…" she gasped. "The Dragon!"

Meliodas glanced down and saw the dragon circle branded on his arm. _Oh yeah, that_ , he thought, trying to stifle another laugh.

Then, her eyes darted over his shoulder. Meliodas figured that the Holy Knight had finally come into view. He knew he had been stalking towards them, raising his sword as he got closer. In his mind's eye, he saw exactly the number of paces it would take for him to reach them, knew the number of seconds it would take him to raise his sword, and saw the angle the sword would bear down on them. But Elizabeth's concern for him made him smile even wider. _She_ didn't know all of this, of course.

He turned and performed Full Counter. Easier than swatting a fly. The knight started talking again, working through what happened. Meliodas frowned. _Does this guy ever shut up?_

"Do you really plan on fighting me with trash?" the knight boomed.

"Trash is fine," he answered pleasantly.

"Meliodas? Are you really that…?" Elizabeth said in a high-pitched voice. Meliodas smiled. He was excited to show off a bit for her, and slowly brought his sword up to display the tattoo. "Have you figured out yet who I am?" he asked, cutting the knight off from another round of blustering.

The knight began to shout, drawing his sword up to deliver his final blow. Meliodas' eyes followed his weapon, easily tracking the strength and trajectory of the attack. With one exact swipe he sent it back at the knight. The air grew still for a moment, and Meliodas held out his arm. "The Seven Deadly Sins' Dragon Sin," he answered. "Meliodas!"

.o0o.

Meliodas clutched Elizabeth tightly to his chest, reflexively keeping the woman as far away from the many sharp weapons pointed at them as possible. He let her legs go and gripped her firmly, cradling her against him with one arm. The other hovered over the hilt of the sword that he wore across his back, ready to draw it if any of them tried to charge. His eyes darted around as he began to plan out his strategy, should they just immediately try and attack without hearing him out.

 _And what exactly was your strategy to get them to listen?_ he asked himself rhetorically, cursing himself for not contemplating that on the way here. His attention had been elsewhere...

"Halt! Not another step."

The demon's attentions were immediately brought to the three dozen Druids and Holy Knights now surrounding them. Nearby, casting a rather daunting shade over the entire area suddenly was a Giant with a similar power level. He would have been impressed—had he not been in the position he was in currently.

"What do we have here?"

"I have one of your girls," he answered slowly. "You left her behind in the retreat, and she—"

"Do not draw your weapon," warned one Holy Knight.

Meliodas lowered his hand. "I just wanted to bring her back to you. She's hurt and needs the healing of a Goddess."

"What happened to her?" the knight demanded. _This one must be the leader_ , Meliodas thought.

"She was poisoned—"

"By you?!" one of the soldiers shouted snidely from his side. The soldier took a menacing step forward, and Meliodas shot the loud idiot a glare.

"No, while she was retreating."

"Likely story!"

"Believe what you will," he spat, deciding it best to ignore the ignorant lesser class. They would only serve to piss him off anyways. His eyes locked back on the one in command. "Are you really going to just let one of your own die here?" he asked incredulously, his tone more accusing than angry. Meanwhile, he could feel Elizabeth's fever spiking even higher. Could someone so fragile even get this feverish?!

The Holy Knight gave a quick glance at a Druid standing by his side, who narrowed her eyes on Meliodas dangerously. Then he went on, "I would have you remember your place, Demon. You are a long way from allies, so I would advise you think carefully before using that deceitful tongue."

He suspected they would react this way. The enemy shows up with one of their wounded? How convenient. He would be suspicious too. Hell, he'd kill the miserable bastard for getting caught along with whoever thought it wise to try something so obvious. Hopefully, though, they were not like him.

"I have no malicious intentions here. I am merely returning one of your fallen," he pressed.

"You'll have to forgive me if I find all of this a little hard to believe. You're telling me you have abandoned your army—an army which is wreaking havoc over the mortal realm." The Knight's voice boomed in a commanding tone, demanding the attention of all. "To deliver an injured enemy to her own?"

When he put it that way, yes… it did sound quite unbelievable. "That… is exactly what I'm telling you." He made a mental note to contemplate his sanity and priorities later.

The knight's brows shot up skeptically, before he let out a laugh that echoed around the demon as the other Holy Knights joined him. Even the giant started laughing. They weren't buying any of it.

"Demon, I haven't the faintest as to what would possess you to come here willingly, but I assure you, you won't live long enough to regret the decision."

Meliodas' jaw clenched tight, trying with a great amount of difficulty to hold his temper. This knight was much too arrogant for his own good, and Meliodas would have liked nothing more in that moment than to cut him down to size. But that wouldn't do him or Elizabeth any good at that moment. He spared a quick glance down to the Druid in his arms. Elizabeth was completely limp, her skin a sickly pale. He could barely feel her heart beat anymore. She would not survive much longer at this rate.

There was a shifting of the bodies surrounding him then as the Holy Knight raised his hand to give his next command. The soldiers surrounding Meliodas all readied for the attack. Meliodas wasn't watching them, though. His eyes remained on Elizabeth, and his brows creased in determination. He had made her a promise, and he'd be damned if he just gave up so easily.

Meliodas' intense glare met the leader's again, halting the Holy Knight's command before it could leave his mouth. "This woman is going to die if you don't get someone out here to heal her! I don't fucking care what happens to me, just..." He paused, swallowing thickly, hoping the sincerity of his words reached someone in the crowd. "Don't let her die," he finished, finally locking eyes with the Druid standing nearby. She had yet to speak, simply watching the exchange with a dark expression. In his look, Meliodas made another promise. And a thousand promises after that.

First was that he wouldn't run away. For some reason beyond him, he genuinely did not care about his own well being in that moment.

Second, and a thousand times over to every soul standing around them: that he would not rest until every one of them was dead if they did not heed his plea.

There was a long silence that fell over the field. Every shifting body came to an abrupt freeze; every breath held. Even the wind seemed to halt in the anticipation of what was to transpire.

The Druid held up a hand while she searched his face, effectively stalling the impending attack. The knights quietly murmured among themselves for a moment before their attention was returned to him. With a suspicious yet thoughtful gaze, the leader of the Druids motioned with her head and a younger female pushed her way through the barricade surrounding him, followed by a bulkier young man. The younger girl held her hand over Elizabeth's face, using her power to feel for signs of life before nodding to the leader. The young man approached Meliodas with a glare, but didn't hesitate to take Elizabeth from Meliodas' arms just as gently as the blonde demon had held her. The Druid turned to carry her away, but something stopped him up short.

Elizabeth's hand had snapped up to grab Meliodas' shirt with a weak grip, surprising all who watched on, the demon included. "P-please..." she rasped, through what labored breath she had left, before her voice disappeared all together. Instead, she pleaded with him through heavy-lidded eyes to run while he still had the chance. Somehow, even holding on to her last threads of life, this infuriatingly beautiful woman was still more concerned for him than she was for herself.

 _Sorry, Elizabeth… I'm nothing if not a man of my word..._

Meliodas' face softened as a small grin crossed his lips. He found his fingers gently pulling her grip away and placing her hand to rest on her chest. "I'm not going anywhere," he promised. This 'promising' thing was going to be the death of him… In more ways than he cared to count.

With a final firm nod at Elizabeth, Meliodas glanced up at the man who had taken her from his arms. "Take good care of her," he asked, and the man turned quickly, retreating further into the camp. Meliodas watched until he couldn't see them anymore—before shifting weapons brought his attention back to the growing number of Holy Knights surrounding him. With a long breath and a roll of his eyes, Meliodas slowly put his hands up on either side of his head, before his arms were forced down and restrained tightly behind his back.

They pulled the sword from his back and the dagger from his belt before leading him roughly away. He was pushed into a small tent with nothing more than a pole standing in the center. One of the knights attached the restraints around his wrists to the center pole, the angle forcing Meliodas to sit on the ground with his back against the wood.

A Holy Knight entered and the commotion died down. Meliodas looked up and regarded him carefully as he walked through the group of knights surrounding him. He was obviously one of the generals. "Where is he?" he shouted, pushing through the group as they parted.

The knight pulled up short in front of Meliodas. "You are from the demon clan," he said.

Meliodas didn't answer, and instead returned his glare in silence. He didn't need to; it was obvious to all. "What are you doing here?" the knight pressed.

"I brought one of your own back," he answered coldly. "You left her in the woods. She was attacked by a demon, and you left her there to die."

The Holy Knight narrowed his eyes. "Let me see his sword." One of the soldiers handed it over, and he drew it from its sheath. After examining it for a moment, he looked back at Meliodas. "Keep him well guarded," he said curtly, before turning and stalking out of the tent.

Meliodas watched the knight leave, and the others following until the tent's opening was closed and he could make out the guard's shadows standing vigilantly. It was only then, as the silence finally fell over him that he allowed himself a long breath. Allowing his heart to quiet as the initial danger passed. He let his head hang, dropping his chin down to his chest, before a soft chuckle left him as he ran the day through his head in review.

This was completely and utterly insane.

What was he doing here? Possessed was right… on nothing but a whim, Meliodas had abandoned the army, rescued an enemy soldier, lied to and misled his own flesh and blood, willingly ran into enemy territory, and to top his madness off; he _**allowed**_ them to capture him! For what purpose?

It had all seemed so clear before. Now, as he sat chained in an enemy camp, everything felt so fuzzy. That drive to protect he had felt before was foreign to him now. Like coming out of a heavy trance. Meliodas frowned in thought. Maybe it had been a trance? Even though he couldn't explain his actions, it didn't feel like any kind of enchantment.

He contemplated the situation for a while, watching the shadows in the tent move as the afternoon wore on, until another concern occurred to him. He was going to be missed eventually, that was for certain. The battle had ended hours ago. Zeldris would be waiting for him to receive his report, and Estarossa would also be returning from whatever errand the demon king had sent him on. Meliodas groaned inwardly at the thought of Estarossa. He had seen him with Elizabeth, and knew he had traveled too far from the army. There is no way he bought the lie that Elizabeth was dead. He was probably out there looking for him now. Meliodas thought of the mad dash he made to the camp, and wondered just how bad the trail was he had made in his panicked state.

 _Get a hold of yourself, you need to get out of here..._ He shut off his thoughts and let the soldier side of him take over. He would use this time to complete the task he had originally set out to do: find out why the Holy Knights were increasing in power. As he waited for whatever would come next, he let his senses explore around him, watching and listening. But even this task proved difficult as his mind kept wandering back to Elizabeth, and how he had ended up here. He banged his head against the pole in frustration.

The General Holy Knight returned all too soon to interrupt his thoughts, barraging him with questions and demands once more. Meliodas remained silent, uninterested in his questions. Instead, he preferred to continue exploring the madness that had brought him to this damned place. She was just an ordinary girl, nothing particularly special about her other than that she was a Druid. But he had encountered Druids before and never reacted like this.

"The General asked you a question! How did you get here?"

He should have let her be. There had been so many opportunities to just leave her and get back to what he was supposed to be doing. His need to protect her had been completely undeniable, so much so he barely recognized himself.

As the Holy Knights continued their questioning, he wondered where she was now; if they were actually helping her or making her suffer through this same barrage of questions and demands that Meliodas refused to answer. The thought of them causing her any distress made his hands ball into tight fists. _I have to get out of here_ , he thought. The only way he was going to escape whatever this was would be to get as far away from the girl as he could.

It didn't take long for the General to grow tired of him ignoring him as he then introduced physical torture in conjunction to his interrogation. As if the droning sound of the knight's repeated questions weren't torture enough. Meliodas swore he'd die of boredom before this guy ever got close to killing him himself.

The General's guard threw another solid hook at Meliodas' jaw, and the demon could taste the metal when he ran his tongue over his split lip. He spit blood defiantly at the knight's feet with a cocky rise of his brow. He was relishing each blow; his mind was finally beginning to focus on the enemy.

 _Have your fun while you can_ , he warned the knight in his head as his mind was made up. He had fulfilled all of his promises. He had brought Elizabeth back. He had allowed the soldiers to capture him… never did he make the promise that he would stay long enough for them to kill him.

What the General failed to realize was that he was actually working against himself. The longer he let this so called 'interrogation' continue, the more information Meliodas absorbed. The number of knights guarding this tent and every shift they made. The rounds taken by the scouts around the camp. The time of day and how long he had until night fell - which wasn't much longer. That was going to be his best chance at escaping without much collateral damage. Aside from the General; the thought of taking this cocky bastard out just felt too good to pass up.

"Was it the girl that told you we were here? What else did she tell you?" the arrogant knight asked.

Meliodas started, all thoughts and breath hitched as he looked up at them then. "She told me nothing," he finally answered in a warning tone.

"That's not what she told us," the knight responded.

Meliodas scowled at him, but then read the lie in his face. It was no wonder the humans had no hope in this war. He could not believe he had ever been impressed with their power; then again, power and intelligence were two very different things. He turned his head away in dismissal, the bored expression returning to his face.

"You don't believe me? Why don't we bring her in here and ask her, then?"

Out of the corner of his eye, Meliodas saw the flap of the tent lift. He glanced up but immediately did a double take, eyes widening as Elizabeth was escorted inside by knights on either side of her. Surely, his vision was deceiving him. There was no way someone who had been so close to death looked so… His mind couldn't even form the word he was looking for to describe her. Elizabeth's color had returned to what he assumed was her natural soft peach. So… soft and supple. Her blue eyes shone despite the lack of direct light in the tent, like the vast sea or the cloudless summer sky. Meliodas swallowed thickly as his gaze traveled down her form, unable to do much more than stare and breathe.

Elizabeth took a few timid steps forward before her eyes fell on him. "Meliodas!" she gasped, hurrying forward. The General called for her to stop, but she ignored him, falling to her knees next to him. "Are you alright?" she whispered. She reached a hand up and drew her fingers over the bruises he had, courtesy of the knights. He found himself very quickly being swallowed up by those fretting blue eyes, completely under her spell.

Before he could answer her, the General strode forward and grabbed Elizabeth by the arm, yanking her backwards. She cried out in surprise, and Meliodas was instantly moving. In a split second, he had broken the restraints and was up, pulling Elizabeth back with one hand as he shoved the general hard in the chest. The Holy Knight stumbled back as he pulled the girl behind him. "Don't touch her," he growled, hearing her gasp behind him.

The general growled as he righted himself, "They're allied! Kill them both!" he snarled his command, and once more, Meliodas and Elizabeth were surrounded by knights.

.o0o.

Meliodas finished setting up the third floor bedroom and climbed through the window. He stood on the lookout balcony, leaning his arms on the railing and smiling. He watched as Elizabeth excitedly talked to Hawk below, asking him about how they had met and where they had been and answering his own questions about being a princess. He was glad to see that they got along so well. They were instant friends, much the way he and Hawk had been.

Mama Hawk walked them towards the next town - one of his favorites in fact, and Meliodas laughed to himself whenever Elizabeth lost her footing and stumbled. This one wasn't very graceful. He had already offered her a job as a waitress, and he now figured that was probably a huge mistake. She was going to be trouble in more ways than one, that was for certain.

Elizabeth looked up and caught sight of him. "Sir Meliodas!" she called waving her hand. He waved back. She insisted on using the honorific, even though he had told her a dozen times not to call him that. He had to admit, though… he did kind of like it. It reminded him of a time when he was surrounded by good friends, good food, great adventures, and even better booze. It was hard to believe it had been ten years already.

 _Time sure does fly when you're on the run…_ he thought sarcastically, before his mind and eyes returned to the silver-haired beauty he was stowing away.

Ten years. It was amazing what ten years could do to a woman. Now that he thought about it, he recalled the little silverette princess always wandering about the castle. He'd had the pleasure of speaking to her a time or two late in the middle of the night after reporting to her father. She was certainly not a little girl anymore.

 _But… Could she really be her?_ Meliodas' grin dipped slightly as those wayward thoughts made their presence known. She certainly had the same spirit. But was that enough? No… he couldn't possibly make that assumption because she tried to give up to the worst worst (and most stupidly named) Holy Knight Apprentice just to try and save his skin. She had heart. He'd give her that.

That familiar twist in his stomach, though, seemed to speak otherwise. There was only one person he had ever felt that pull towards. And his instincts were never wrong.

But, that begged another question. If she was in fact the same, why so soon? It wasn't as if there was a set number of years that needed to pass by… but this was the shortest he had ever had to wait for her.

So many questions… and something told him he was just scratching the surface.


	4. Chapter 4

'ELLO LOVELIES!

DOM here, back from the dead, or not dead - but dead because I'm actually a zombie, but not dead like buried six feet under dead… ANYWAYS

It's Dom's turn to have a little fu- I MEAN…

What can I say about my wonderful co-writer? As I have first hand experience with people mistaking me for dead, I will not make you all believe she is gone, as she is definitely not. In fact she's watching me write this right now. I promise it's not in any creepy sort of way - nor does she have some sort of barreled weapon pointed at me. Because, you know, that's illegal. And we would never do things like that to each other.

Our co-authorship started like any other. With me tied up in a dark basement I didn't recognize. I knew immediately that we would get along - because if we didn't she'd probably kill me, but I digress. She had this way of speaking to me; I couldn't help but hang from every word she said. I found her spirit for writing to be in sync with my own, and when she placed the story idea in front of me I knew this was nothing less than fate (and a possible psychotic break) bringing us together.

Lickitysplit is a phenomenal writer, who has a tendency to delete things far too much. She often gives me hell about using too many ellipses and long author's notes, and I love her all the more for it. In complete honesty, if I had to choose to be anyone's captive co-writer, I would choose her. She has a way of expressing the finer plot points and weaving intricate scenery in ways that I can't. I admire her more than she will allow me to express - because she's shy and keeps my mouth taped (I'm overly excitable, according to her eulogy).

I am lucky that she kidnapped me to write this story with her… even though she tried to kill me in the last chapter.

Now then, ON TO REVIEWS! (Yes, for both chapter 2 and 3 - if you posted for both chapters, we'll just respond once to get to the good stuff quick!)

Woundedowl - As for your first review… WOW. That was… INTENSE. You had a lot of pent up feelings about Twiggo. Collectively, we think you should see someone about that. We are thrilled you are enjoying the story so far, and to go as far as to squeak? That is all the thanks we could ever need.

Tnw0918 - SUSPRISE! Estarossa! We're happy that you're liking the story so far. It should get REALLY interesting in the coming chapters! Stick with us!

LUV - Everyone (aside from lickitysplit apparently) loves Meliodas' naughty streak. I know that's why I started watching. But then again, that goes along the same mistake line of me liking Merlin the best… sigh. My life does not consist of 637 stories, and even if it did, you all are just jelly. We thought the whole past aspect needed to be explored. And there you have it. Everything is based off of what we can infer from the manga, or… at least most of it is. Like 95%. The other 5% is my random whimsical nonsense.

MalevolentMagician - We're glad you like the story, but we're afraid you may have misunderstood… This is no love in war; just death. And sorrow. Have a nice day! (We love you)

General Zargon - We would like to know what it is you are the general of. Just out of curiosity. Thank you for the well wishes! We wish you luck in the war you are obviously going to fight in because you are a general of something…

Lady Maico - DOM'S BACK! Thanks for sending the phoenix - though we found out it was unnecessary. Sorry bout that. We like the past and present aspect too. It was almost too juicy to pass up. It also gives us a chance to make Meliodas even more bad-ass than usual.

Strom0217 - Thank you so much for the kind words! We are glad that we haven't disappointed you yet. That's a step in the right direction. Unless you're in to that sort of thing.

Sassykitten1701 - One of us wants your name. I'm not gunna tell you which. Those are some pretty awesome praises you're sending our way! Thank you so much for being so supportive!

LucyDragneel2009 - Hopefully two weeks was fast enough. Sorry. Dom was kind of dead for a few days and then there were finals. Basically, Dom is to blame for all of it. :D

Kamira - The manga makes it easy and yet infuriatingly difficult at the same time to make inferences. Once you think you know what's going on, they decide to drop a boulder of a plot twist on you.

Tracy - Thank you! You are too kind!

On to the chapter! Enjoy!

.o0o.

"Um, Sir Meliodas? There's something… that I'd like to ask you about."

"Hm?" he answered, looking up. He had been busy swatting Hawk away, and was surprised by her suddenly serious tone. "Ask me anything."

"Are you really as much of a villain as everyone says you are?" He raised his eyebrows as a blush started to color Elizabeth's cheeks. "If so, Sir Meliodas… What… What kind of crime did you commit?"

Completely taken aback by the question, he turned around to hide his frown. He knew she meant it innocently enough; that didn't do anything to take the sting out. Meliodas tried to think of a way to answer, but then she rushed on, "It must be just a misunderstanding! Because you… you saved me. Someone you didn't even know."

A smile crept over Meliodas' face. Like everything else about her, her kindness was a delightful curiosity. Though, really he shouldn't have been surprised. "What kind of crime…" He tried not to laugh as his tone became very serious. "Years ago, I roamed around Britannia, stealing all of the underwear in sight."

"You're lying!" she squealed. Pleased with the reaction, he kept a straight face and went on, "I actually walked around groping the breasts of a thousand women."

"You're kidding, right?" Elizabeth gasped. She looked more skeptical this time, so he looked up at the ceiling innocently.

"Sir Meliodas, please stop making fun of me!" She clenched her fists and stamped her foot. She looked so absurd, acting like a little girl in her very adult uniform, that he almost laughed and gave up the game. He watched her out of the corner of his eye as she frowned at him. "Or is it that you really committed a crime that you can't talk about?" she asked tentatively.

Meliodas' head snapped up. That one did more than sting. All of a sudden he was reminded of another woman he had saved, a long time ago.

"Something like that."

.o0o.

Meliodas kept one hand on Elizabeth, holding her against his hip, as he scanned the guards that surrounded them. He sized them up one by one: this one favored the left side, that one would thrust high, another was always a half second behind the others, and so forth. Finally his eyes landed on the general, who was drawing his sword from its sheath. "I don't want to hurt you," Meliodas warned.

The general scoffed and stepped forward, swinging his sword. All at once Meliodas pushed Elizabeth to the side as he ducked under the blade, sending a punch into the knight's stomach. Unable to stop the swing, he stumbled with the blow, giving Meliodas the opportunity to hit him in the side of the neck and knock him backwards across the tent.

He saw Elizabeth falling out of the corner of his eye, and with the next second he stepped to the side to grab her again. But another knight had advanced, and he twisted to avoid the sword, sending his elbow into the knight's shoulder blade. He turned back to Elizabeth just as a knight grabbed her. Meliodas jumped and sent the knight flying with a kick, smashing into two others.

All of this happened in a matter of seconds, and Meliodas pulled Elizabeth against him again, just as they were when the knights had started their advance. "I said I didn't want to hurt you," Meliodas said through gritted teeth. He felt Elizabeth's fingers grip his shirt, and he fought to keep his focus at her touch.

"I'll kill you for that," the general growled, now back on his feet. He raised his weapon and called a command. Blue light began to pulse from the sword, and the Holy Knight swung towards them. Meliodas had no time, so he turned around, tucking Elizabeth under him and taking the full blast on his back. Elizabeth cried out as she was knocked forward onto the ground.

He felt the knight moving as the attack subsided. Turning around, he raised his arm up just as the general brought the sword down on them. Meliodas caught the broad side of the blade with his forearm, stopping the knight mid-stroke. "Impossible," the knight exclaimed, and Meliodas smiled as he planted his foot forward, pushing him backwards.

"I'll make an exception for you," Meliodas said darkly. He took another step forward as the knight staggered away. There was a familiar heat that began to radiate from the demon's head and down his spine, and black flames rushed from his right shoulder and down his arm. He reached out a hand and the flames shot out to the side, snatching up a sword from one of the soldiers on the ground and returning it to his grip.

Meliodas began to raise his hand to deliver a blow of his own, but Elizabeth's voice stopped him: "Please don't!"

The demon drew up short, his arm shaking as he tried to reel in the power straining to be let go. He turned his head and looked over his shoulder. Elizabeth was standing in the center of the room, her hands clutched to her chest, her eyes wide and focused on him. "Meliodas," she said firmly, almost as if she were scolding him.

Meliodas took a deep breath, trying to steady himself. He took a deliberate step backwards as his hand flexed around the sword. Slowly he lowered his arm, keeping it extended in a purely defensive stance. The blackness began to subside, crawling back into his body. He knew she was right. Killing this knight would bring the wrath of the others. Even though he was sure he could survive, he did not want to chance Elizabeth getting hurt or killed.

The darkness flared briefly as he thought, _Why do you even care?_ A tentative hand touched his shoulder, jolting him from his thoughts, and Meliodas whirled, bringing his sword around again. He pulled back when he realized it was only Elizabeth. She didn't look at him afraid, instead giving him a reassuring nod, silently telling him it was okay to lower his weapon.

He was all at once in awe and fear of this woman as they stared at each other. Who the hell was she that she could keep him from releasing his wrath on an enemy? How was it that she could soothe this very soul with the calling of his name? What kind of magic did this druid control?

There were voices outside the tent, and people began to rush inside. "What's going on in here?" came a stern voice. Meliodas gripped the sword, preparing to defend himself again; but when he looked over at the entrance, it was not Holy Knights that had entered, but a team of Druids. Elizabeth inhaled sharply and stepped away from him, giving a little bow. Meliodas watched her in confusion before giving the Druids a closer look. He recognized the one from earlier in the day, who had agreed to take Elizabeth.

She gave Elizabeth a reproachful look before turning her eyes back to the demon. "Did you attack these knights?" she demanded.

Meliodas couldn't help his surprise. For such a tiny woman, she held more authority than any of the powerful knights he had encountered. "They attacked first," he answered feeling the sudden need to defend himself.

"You've certainly got spirit for a prisoner of war…" she remarked snidely, giving him a quick once over. In the close quarters of the tent, Meliodas had the chance to really study the woman. She was shorter than he had perceived, but what she lacked in height, she made up for in temperament it seemed.

"And you, Elizabeth," she turned her scornful eye on Elizabeth, "You should be resting. What in the name of the goddesses are you doing here?"

Meliodas frowned. So she had known Elizabeth? What was with that show before? He briefly wondered if the druid leader would have saved Elizabeth even if he hadn't surrendered.

"Lady Jenna, the Holy Knight General had me escorted here… for questioning." She had kept her head bowed respectfully to the woman who she addressed as Lady Jenna.

"I'm sure that can wait. You need to recover your strength," she said, dismissing Elizabeth in not so many words.

Perhaps she really did care…

"I don't think so! No one is going anywhere," a familiar commanding voice erupted.

Oh, not this arrogant asshole again… Meliodas groaned internally as the Holy Knight General managed to find his ability to speak once more.

"That girl is in an alliance with the demon! She is suspected of being a traitor! You can't just send her away." The Knight demanded and Lady Jenna shot him an incredulous look.

"Are you out of your mind? Elizabeth is an Apostle of the Goddesses. She's no traitor."

 _Apostle… of the goddesses? This woman is just full of surprises isn't she…_ Meliodas had heard of the priestesses before. Those who were the closest to the goddesses. They possessed powers beyond anything a Holy Knight could attain as their power was rumored to have been bestowed upon them by a goddess herself. Was this what gave her the power to baffle him so utterly? Meliodas spared an uneasy glance at Elizabeth.

"Be that as it may, she hasn't been cleared of suspicion. She will stay here until we have determined her involvement with the demon."

Meliodas just barely contained a growl at the man. "There is no involvement! That's what I've been telling you. I found her and brought her back here. End of story" he protested, glaring at the General. Regretting having not ended him when he had the chance.

"How did you find the camp?" the General was quick to follow up.

Meliodas opened his mouth to speak but immediately bit his tongue. Obviously Elizabeth had pointed him in the right direction. Something deep down told him that sharing that little bit of information would hurt her case more than help.

It didn't matter. His hesitation and silence would be enough… The Holy Knight gave a smug grin as if he had driven the proverbial nail in the coffin.

"They are not to leave," the General declared. "Neither of them." He gave Jenna a furious look before his eyes landed on Meliodas. "I don't know what your game is here. But if your concern is this girl like you claim, you'll think twice before trying to escape." Jenna and the knight exchanged a biting glance as he left. Meliodas observed how the guards moved around the tent outside, essentially surrounding them.

"Lady Jenna," Elizabeth began softly, but the Druid cut her off with one hand. "Just stay here," she answered harshly, and followed behind the knight.

 _I can't leave now… They'll suspect Elizabeth that much more, and there's no telling what that bastard would do to her if they found her guilty…_ he thought angrily, but again some deeper darker part of him begged the question again, _Why do you fucking care?!_ He didn't have an answer, and frankly he was sick of trying to figure it out. Meliodas groaned, rubbing his face, opening his eyes, he glanced up and froze as he locked eyes with a very curious looking druid. The moment their eyes met, Elizabeth's widened in having been caught staring at him, and quickly darted away as she cleared her throat.

A small grin pulled at Meliodas' lips as his brows creased curiously at the confusing woman he was sharing a tent with. A soft chuckle escaped him and he shook his head and sighed. "I guess… I did more damage than good?" he asked rhetorically, and she granted him a surprised look before a small smile formed on her face.

"It's alright." She pursed her lips then as she narrowed her eyes on his face. "Here…" She crossed the small distance between them. When she was close enough she placed both hands on either side of his face and took a deep breath. He watched stunned again as began to whisper something under her breath. The movement of her full lips was just as mesmerizing as it had been in the forest.

Then with another content smile, she dropped her hands. "There. That should feel better," she assured him and his hand went up to feel for the bruising and cuts, finding none.

"Thank you."

"You're welcome. It's the least I could do…"

They were interrupted as someone called Elizabeth's name. She hurried over to the opening at the tent, and as she spoke to someone Meliodas sat on the ground, leaning up against the pole he had been chained to earlier. Elizabeth returned a moment later, carrying blankets under one arm and balancing two bowls of food in the other. He watched with a mixture of curiosity and amusement as she tried her best not to drop anything. She was not exactly graceful as she carefully sat next to him, laying the items on the ground.

"Are you hungry?" she asked, holding a bowl out to him. Meliodas didn't answer. Was this some kind of tactic? All amusement gone, Meliodas became suddenly suspicious. She had just watched him take out a dozen of her allies, and now she was healing him and feeding him? This made no sense. This was not how enemies acted in a war. He started to wonder again what had brought him here, what had driven him to abandon his own army to save her. Knowing now that she was an Apostle, he questioned again if this was an enchantment of some kind.

The silence stretched awkwardly between them, until finally Elizabeth cleared her throat. She placed the bowl next to him and picked up the other, eating slowly. He just shook his head. If this girl had any idea of who she was sitting next to, she wouldn't be sitting there, calmly eating. Meliodas frowned as he continued watching her. It was clear she was deliberately ignoring him. He was surprised to realize that irritated him greatly.

He watched her for a while, and then blurted out, "Who are you really?"

Elizabeth sputtered, jumping at the sudden interruption in the silence. "I—I told you my name," she answered.

"No," he said with a small growl. "Who are you really?" He could feel himself getting angry—at the situation, at her, and mostly at himself. "Why would you trust me to bring you here?"

Elizabeth's mouth tightened and she drew in a breath. "Who are _you_ really?" she shot back. "You decided to come here yourself. You could have left me there. I warned you to stay away."

"You didn't tell me you were an Apostle," he snapped.

"You took down a demon and a group of Holy Knights all by yourself," she answered. She gave a loud sigh and drew her knees up, not looking at him. "I guess we both haven't been completely truthful. But you saved my life, and I thought I could trust you."

"Not truthful-" Meliodas had to do a mental check before he lost his temper. Was she really accusing him of deceiving her? "I never lied to you about what I was."

Elizabeth's eyes darted up to him, "Well neither did I. You never asked if I was an Apostle."

Meliodas grit his teeth. He turned away and went back to planning how to get out of there. There was no point in talking if he would be gone by the morning. Then he could get back to the reason why he was even in Britannia, and forget about this madness. Really, that's what this had to be. No woman, demon, druid, or otherwise, was worth all of this.

.o0o.

Something was coming. Meliodas paused in the middle of drying a glass and tuned into the sudden warning from his internal alarm. Something was definitely coming, probably courtesy of the Holy Knight who had caused trouble for Bernia. He shut out the din of the noisy bar and tried to pinpoint exactly what it was.

His thoughts were interrupted with a crash and a shout. Meliodas shook himself and looked over to see Elizabeth trying not to cry over another tray on the floor. He ignored the commotion and tried to zoom in on the threat again, but then the girl took off running, banging through the front door of the bar.

He walked around the bar and headed towards the door as Hawk called after him, "Are you going to cheer her up?"

Meliodas snapped back to the present. "Huh? No, I'm going out to pee."

He hopped down the steps and landed in the grass, looking up at the sky. It was getting closer, traveling at an incredible speed. Definitely not an animal of any kind he knew—so it was something else. A weapon perhaps? He heard a voice say his name, and he answered "Huh?" absentmindedly.

 _There._ He could see the spear, finally. It was traveling so fast, though, that he couldn't tell what angle it would bear down on them. He flexed his left hand and watched carefully. _Ban would like this game_ , Meliodas thought to himself. He'd have to remember to tell him about it when—

"A conversation about a forest even the Holy Knights avoid doesn't do us any good at all."

Meliodas swung around in surprise. Elizabeth was out here too? He remembered then how she had dropped the orders and ran out. And now she was sitting directly in the path of another Holy Knight attack. Could this girl go five minutes without putting herself in danger?

"It's laughable," she said with a sad smile. "A useless waitress trying to protect an entire country."

Meliodas frowned. She had faced down a Holy Knight just days before after travelling through Britannia all by herself, and she was calling herself useless? He cleared his throat. Self-doubt was something he did not have a lot of experience with. There was really only one time in his life, in fact, when he hadn't trusted his own instincts. "It wasn't easy for me to open the bar," he said reassuringly. "I got the ordering wrong, and the food—"

"But you're not a bar owner, are you?!" she cried. "You're one of the legendary—"

"And you're a princess," Meliodas answered, a twinge of irritation in his voice. Maybe he had been wrong about Elizabeth. He had found her sweetness and her humility charming at first. But he had expected her to be much, much stronger than this.

"Princesses can't do anything," she mumbled. "I don't have the power of a Holy Knight, or the strength to protect the people from them."

"But you found me, right?" He couldn't help but smile at her. "If you didn't have the determination to protect the people, and find me all by yourself while you could barely walk, then none of this would have started."

Elizabeth looked at him with surprised eyes. That sense of familiarity washed over him again, but Meliodas was almost completely sure he had been wrong. Elizabeth was a coincidence… a girl on a quest, just like him, and nothing more. "There is something I can do," she said with new determination. "I'll give it my best!"

Meliodas nodded, glad that she was not upset any more. Then he turned and looked up at the sky. No matter what the truth was, he was still determined to keep the princess safe. "And I have something I must do as well." His eyes narrowed and he held out his hand.


	5. Chapter 5

Lickitysplit here. I'd like to clarify a few things.

First of all, the basement isn't even that dark. There's a window with a lovely little family of birds living outside of it. Plus, she has a lamp, which I gave her when she insisted that I not put on the flourescent lighting because it does bad things to her skin tone.

Also, I only tied her up to keep her from writing so damn much. All night long it's clackety-clack, clackety-clack. I ordered one of those programs that does speech-to-text, but until it arrives I need to keep her from working so much. Some of us have to sleep. And I don't have Amazon Prime.

I would also like to point out to all of you, the world, that it was DOM'S idea to post the eulogy. I mean, really, who here hasn't gone out, gotten blisteringly drunk, gone home, wrote a nearly coherent eulogy about their non-dead friend, and then posted it on a public website? We've all been there, right?

I'm going to end this here since this chapter is so long, but if anyone has seen Dom please let me know because she escaped. Okay thanks bye!

.o0o.

This was certainly turning out to be an interesting day. They had made their way from Bernia to the Forest of White Dreams quickly as Hawk Mama carried them through the night. Meliodas always slept well with the tavern's gentle rocking. Elizabeth seemed to be getting the hang of riding on the giant pig's back, too, and for that he was glad. Every time she took a spill he wondered again why he didn't just find some place to put her until he figured out what was going on in Britannia.

It was a beautiful morning, not that they could see much of it as they made their way through the thick mist of the forest. Elizabeth had done good. Really good, in fact, overhearing a rumor that had led them right into the Forest of White Dreams. It was the ideal place for any of his comrades to hide out. And Meliodas was admittedly a little annoyed with himself that he hadn't figured it out sooner.

He hadn't been expecting to find Diane, the Seven Deadly Sin's resident giantess, though. But, where else was a giant supposed to hide?

The moment they had found her, Meliodas couldn't help the thought _oh boy…_ from passing through his mind. Diane was, in a word - and to put it kindly - passionate. And his newest traveling companion was bound to rub the giantess the wrong way.

They didn't call her the sin of envy for nothing, after all.

As predicted, Diane threw the whole situation out of proportion; doing her best to smash him into the ground, screaming about how he was a cheating womanizer.

It didn't take long to calm her down and explain the situation, and now she stood tall, determination set in her amethyst eyes.

"I, The Serpent's Sin of Envy, Diane… Will lend you my strength!"

"Alright! That'll help a lot!" Meliodas agreed to her bold declarations of lending her strength; strength they would no doubt need soon.

Elizabeth clasped her hands happily in front of her, "Thank you Lady Diane!"

The determination Diane had been displaying shifted to a cold glare at the princess, making her flinch back slightly, "Let me make this clear, Princess. The only reason I'm helping you; is for the captain!"

Meliodas refrained from sighing. The Sins were two members strong now. Trying to talk Diane out of the delusion that she and him were in some sort of relationship was the lowest of his priorities at the moment. He watched Elizabeth stammer for a moment, laughing to himself. She was entirely too innocent, he decided. After all, she never saw any of his jokes coming from a mile away, and he was anything but subtle.

A chilled wind blew through the forest then, and with it Hawk's nose raised to the sky, "Smells like rain-clouds," he snorted. It was more than just rain-clouds. The atmosphere shifted as a giant thunderstorm formed overhead.

From that thunderstorm, a series of lightning strikes rained down, surprising all of them as they did not crash like natural lightening, but instead wrapped around each of their bodies in electrified ropes.

"My… my body's paralyzed! I can't move!" Elizabeth cried.

Meliodas was about to make a joke at her expense, when a cold voice rang out, "Finally we meet, Sin."

.o0o.

Morning light began to filter through the tent, the early birds sang their happy tunes and the Holy Knight's camp began to come to life with the waking of soldiers. Meliodas begrudgingly opened his eyes. He took a deep breath and forced all of the air out through his nose while he sat, hands clasped in front of his mouth.

He had had every intention of being gone by now. He had explored hundreds of scenarios of his escape. But somehow his mind always wandered back to the druid in his midst. A few times he had even found himself watching her from over his shoulder after she had fallen asleep. Each time his mind wandered to her, he would shake himself, demanding his focus back to the task of escaping. Eventually he had resorted to keeping his eyes closed just to think clearly.

How she managed to sleep so soundly, curled up under one of the blankets, in the presence of the enemy was beyond him. He didn't get a wink the entire night.

 _Get it together!_ He growled to himself, growing more and more frustrated with his wayward thoughts as the night went on. Now, morning had come and he was no closer to being gone than he had been the night before. He felt his anger rising to the surface.

There was something else, though, something that Meliodas had been ignoring but was becoming harder and harder to silence. Now that the time for him to go was here, he didn't want to actually leave. At least, not leave _her_. Elizabeth had caught his eye in the woods, and she had captivated him enough to keep her alive - even when completely aggravating, she still managed to occupy his thoughts. Ever since she had healed him, and that damned light of hers had reached him… him, who was of the demon race…

There was a rustling and a yawn from behind him and Meliodas could only assume his tent mate had woken from her beauty sleep. He stayed perfectly still, listening to the little sigh she made as she stretched. Try as he might, he could not stop himself from sneaking a look out of the corner of his eye. Elizabeth sat up quickly, as if she had just remembered where she was. She ran a hand through her long hair, using her fingers to comb it down, pulling it over her shoulder. Her eyes blinked as she looked around and finally landed on him.

"Sleep well?" he asked. He had tried to sound nonchalant, but a combination of lack of sleep and his own frustrations made it come out much harsher than he intended. Meliodas felt a pang as hurt flashed over her face, and she quickly turned away from him, busying herself with folding up her blanket.

He cursed himself as the silence filled the tent and space between them; the air growing stale with awkwardness.

A long moment passed by, then another. Then her voice suddenly caught him by surprise. "Why haven't you left yet?" Meliodas turned wide incredulous eyes on her, and after a moment, she turned her face towards him. She opened her mouth to speak, but stopped short when she saw the look on his face. "What is it?" she asked with a bit of a bite.

Meliodas blinked a few times, trying to steady himself from the quick shift in her mood.

"What will happen to you when I leave?" he asked sharply, trying hard to keep his composure. He stood and turned his back on her, quickly trying to guess the number of guards outside at that moment.

Elizabeth sighed. "Don't worry about it. I'll be fine."

He glanced over his shoulder with narrowed eyes. "Don't lie to me."

"I'm not!" she cried, folding her arms.

"That Holy Knight tried to kill you. He aimed an attack right at you when he just _thought_ we were allies. And you're telling me that when I escape, they won't hurt you?"

Elizabeth huffed. "I've handled worse." Her answer surprised him almost as much as the hurt in her voice, and he turned to her with raised eyebrows.

"Besides, you haven't answered my question. Why haven't you left yet?"

Meliodas watched the morphing of emotions in her gaze. Her question was not borne out of anger. She was pleading with him again with those blue eyes, and he couldn't stand it. It was like she was chastising a child and not a demon general.

"I know how powerful you are." Elizabeth sat up on her knees, leaning forward towards him. "You could leave if you wanted to. So why haven't you? It's not safe for you here." He returned his focus to trying to pinpoint the locations of the most powerful Holy Knights, but she was still too distracting. There was another heavy pause, and then she huffed in exasperation before she blurted, "Why are you ignoring me?"

Slowly, Meliodas turned around. "Do you have any idea who I am?" he asked. "Do you know what I could do to you? What I could do to every human in this camp?"

Elizabeth's face was stone; some attempt at exuding her confidence, or perhaps her misguided bravery. "You won't, though. You won't hurt me."

"Are you sure?" His frustration with the past twenty-four hours finally boiled over, and he stalked towards her. Elizabeth scrambled to her feet and took a step backwards. He gripped her by the upper arms and pulled her forward with a small shake. "Why did you heal me? Why do you care what happens to me? Why am I—"

He hesitated, afraid of revealing too much. _Why am I feeling this way with you?_ The question he really wanted to ask died on his lips, along with his next thought: _Have you done this to me?_ Elizabeth opened her mouth to say something, but then shut it quickly. She looked at the ground for a moment. Meliodas could feel his emotions starting to subside as he drew in slow breaths. But then she returned her eyes to his and said, "I—I feel this too."

Her confession hit him like a blow. He released her suddenly as if her skin had burned him and he stumbled away from her. Elizabeth was gazing at him with a mixture of confusion and… was it empathy? Compassion? He felt as though he would have preferred her fear at that moment, rather than the warmth in her eyes.

She started to stammer out an apology as he put as much space as he could between them. Finally Elizabeth wrung her hands and said, "I'm sorry about losing my temper last night."

He paused. The demon had heard many apologies before—usually accompanied by pleading— but this one was different. Meliodas glanced over as Elizabeth looked at him tentatively. Her expression was sad, and he shook his head. Meliodas wondered if she even knew what anger really was. And besides, was it not _him_ who lost his temper with _her_? "And I didn't mean to imply that… you had lied. I should have told you about me." She looked away, a blush rising in her cheeks. "Can we start over?"

And just like that, his mistrust and uncertainty quickly faded. He could feel his anger start to recede as her sweetness worked like a soothing balm.

Meliodas swallowed. "We can be nice—I can be nice."

Elizabeth's eyes widened slightly in surprise. "Does that mean you accept my apology?"

"Yeah…" He couldn't believe he was having this conversation. Why was there this sudden urge for him to be begging for her forgiveness?

"You sure you're not just saying that so I'll help you escape?"

Meliodas let a small grin cross his lips at her tone. Every time he thought he had her figured out, she still surprised him. "Is it working?" he asked.

Elizabeth watched him, then eventually she couldn't help the smile that crossed her lips as well. "Perhaps a little."

Their reconciliation seemed to put her in a better mood, he noted, as the anxiety that had stiffened her shoulders was suddenly gone. _She looks so out of place here_ , he couldn't help but think. "Elizabeth?" He wasn't sure what was pushing him to converse, but now he couldn't help himself. Elizabeth nodded for him to continue. "What are you doing here, anyways?"

Elizabeth sat a little straighter. "I'm a healer. Where there is war, there are people who need to be healed."

"There are other healers, you know. Why you? You're not a soldier, you're an Apostle. So why are you on the front lines?"

She looked away for the briefest of seconds, "I want to do what I can to help." Her voice took on a sad tone and in that moment, Meliodas saw something in her downcast gaze that told him that she had seen the ugly consequences of war. "What about you? Why are you here?" she asked him in return, quick to turn the subject.

Meliodas let out a soft chuckle at her question, the irony was not wasted on him. _I've been trying to figure that out all damn day…_ he thought, though he knew that's not what she meant. "I'm a—" he paused, "—a warrior." he finished quickly, telling only part of the truth. He didn't want to give her a reason to distrust him now. Telling her that he was a general in the demon army would only serve to scare her and he was too close to freedom for that.

"Why are the demons attacking?"

Meliodas shook his head. "You're fighting in a war and have no idea what's going on?" He couldn't keep the skepticism out of his voice.

Elizabeth rolled her eyes, "I know what the soldiers have been told. I know what they say to rally the troops. I want to hear it from you."

"Conquest. Land. Glory." He shrugged, as if the answers were obvious. Why did anyone start a war? He was a general, but he made no claims to understand the reasoning behind any of this. He followed his orders. Most of the time, at least.

"Is that all?"

A small grin tugged at the corner of his mouth as he gave her a knowing look, "Humans have killed for less."

The flaps of the tent entrance opened suddenly, revealing a group of smug looking knights and soldiers, "Up and at'em, prisoners." The knight at the front was annoyingly spirited. "You get some time to leave the confines of this tent for personal care."

 _How very kind of them…_ He tried to keep his frustrations from roaring back. This would be a good opportunity to see a bit of the camp, size up his guard, and find the quickest and easiest escape route; he'd be back in familiar territory before breakfast.

Elizabeth remained silent as she hurried to follow the soldiers out of the tent. Meliodas followed, noting the weapons each carried and assessing their power levels. Only two had levels high enough for an actual rank, and combined they did not equal his own. He smiled to himself as they walked through the woods. This would be even easier than he thought.

The ground started to get uneven as they approached a small river. Elizabeth stumbled and Meliodas easily caught her with one hand, straightening her back on her feet. He noted with some satisfaction that she blushed a warm shade of pink as she mumbled a thanks. For a brief moment, he considered holding onto her before letting her go.

 _Focus!_ he shouted at himself. The river ran north to south, and he could see that it was not guarded for several miles. He could definitely use it as a marker to get back to his own army. The two ranked knights moved away from the rest, taking positions on higher ground where there was a bit of a rise. Smart, but it didn't make any real difference. Meliodas wished he had a weapon. Without one, he'd be forced to use his demon powers, and he wanted to avoid that. It would be too risky with Elizabeth so close.

 _No! She's not the reason, you moron… anyone with half a brain would feel the power you put out. Not much of an escape if the whole damn army knows_.

 _If she gets hurt, well… that's what happens in a war._ Meliodas watched the other soldiers group together as they chatted. One turned and looked at him suspiciously, so he quickly stepped down towards the water.

Meliodas crouched at the river's edge, cupping his hands as he filled them with water and splashed his face, enjoying the shock to his system the cold water brought. He tensed as he counted down in his head, listening to the voices behind him. He would go for the Holy Knights first, he decided. He rubbed his neck as he debated to go left or right when Elizabeth interrupted his thoughts, again.

"Can I please have some privacy?" He heard Elizabeth complain not far away, and there was a round of chuckles from the guards watching her.

"Absolutely not. Suspected traitors don't get privacy."

Meliodas shot the men disgusted looks. All of them; cretins. Either they didn't realize they were harassing an Apostle of the Goddesses or they didn't care… though he was fairly certain that ogling her while she was trying to bathe was a sin.

One of the guards peered over at him, catching his revulsion, and gave him a sneer, getting a lot closer than Meliodas ever wanted to be to someone who smelled so bad. "Got something to say, Demon?" he demanded hotly.

If looks could kill, the glare Meliodas gave the man would have made it very difficult to claim the soldier's remains. "I'm not in a very forgiving mood, so if you plan on keeping your head, I suggest you step away," he warned darkly. The soldier swallowed hard with a glare, but did as he was told.

Disparaging human waste aside, Meliodas turned his attention back to the river, splashing more cold water into his face. _Now… where was I?_ He asked himself, getting back to the finer details of escape by river.

 _To the right or left? Both sets of knights are evenly powered but the one closest to me has a… sword...—_ A small splash caught his attention as he continued his thoughts, all of which came to a stuttering stand still when Elizabeth broke the surface of the water. Silver hair drenched and cascading like shining silk down her back, white strapless dress soaked through and clinging to every curve, skin glistening with dripping beads of water. She had gone out into the middle of the river, proving his theory that it did get deeper, but not deep enough as the water only covered her waistline down.

Meliodas swallowed thickly as he watched her pull her hair over her shoulder like she had earlier and run deft fingers through it. Her face was turned towards him because of the action and she glanced up, catching his eyes on her and her cheeks flushed that same warm pink. He blinked, unable to process his own thoughts before he forced himself to look away.

It took him a few moments to regain any semblance of rational thought. He quickly splashed more water on his face, trying to cool down the flash of heat he had felt against his neck. Meliodas shook himself. He could admit that she was beautiful—very beautiful. _That's all that this is_ , he decided. Lust. Lust he could understand. This whole situation was starting to make sense now.

"There they are." Meliodas' head whipped around at the sound of the General's voice. Another group of soldiers was hurrying towards them, and Meliodas stepped out of the water. To his side, Elizabeth was also hurrying forward, hugging herself.

Meliodas reached out and grabbed her by the arm. "What's going on?" he called out to the soldiers.

The General stopped a few yards away and gave them a cold smile. "Our council has decided. We can't have a demon here, and we can't let you go. So you'll be put to death instead."

"No!" Elizabeth cried. She tried to shake Meliodas off her arm and step in front of him. "I won't let you do this!"

"Elizabeth. Go." Meliodas began to summon his power, feeling the familiar flash of heat crawl along the back of his neck. But suddenly, that heat turned into an excruciating fire, and he dropped to one knee.

"Please stop this!" Elizabeth cried. Meliodas looked up and followed her gaze to a group of Druids standing near the Holy Knights, arms outstretched. _They are calling the goddess fire_ , he realized.

Meliodas closed his eyes, trying to focus through the pain. There were voices everywhere: the General calling for Elizabeth to get out of the way, threatening her; the Holy Knights readying their attacks; the Druids shouting at them in turn to stand down. He heard Elizabeth screaming, and he tried to push himself to stand. The heat bearing down on him was overwhelming. He felt as though his skin was boiling away.

"I brought him here. It's my fault. Please don't punish him for my mistake!"

Meliodas looked up and saw the knights advancing. He tried to get up again, but then doubled over, gritting his teeth with the pain. There were shouts from all around him. He heard the knights calling their attacks, and he braced himself.

Then there was a blinding light, and the fire was gone. Meliodas looked up slowly and saw Elizabeth standing in front of him. He was shocked to realize the light was coming from _her_. Elizabeth's hands were clenched into fists at her side. Tears slid down her cheeks as her hair blew wildly around her face. Meliodas' eyes widened in amazement. He was seeing the power of an Apostle for the first time.

"I won't let you kill him," she said. Her voice was firm, and the change in her demeanor struck him. Meliodas hadn't spent a lot of time with this woman. Hardly knew her; but the last twenty four hours had painted her as someone who needed to be saved. To be protected. That Elizabeth was no longer standing in front of him and he was in both awe and fear of the woman standing her ground against a power that had driven him to his knees.

Elizabeth ignored the crowd shouting at her and turned to Meliodas. "Run. Please, this is your chance."

Meliodas shook his head. "Elizabeth, I—"

"Even you can't fight all of them," she whispered with a small shake to her head.

Meliodas gingerly climbed to his feet. Even knowing she was an Apostle, he was amazed at the amount of raw power pouring from her. He stood for a moment dumbfounded, finally shaking himself when she shouted, "Meliodas! Go!"

He took off, moving as fast as he could, crashing into the forest. He spared only one glance behind him and saw Elizabeth watching him, the light surrounding her finally beginning to fade.

.o0o.

Diane bent down to hiss at Meliodas, "This power—he's—"

"Yeah, no doubt about it," Meliodas sighed. "He's a Holy Knight." He wondered if this one would be as annoying as the last one they encountered. He really didn't have the time to be dealing with a Holy Knight every other day. Meliodas was about to break out of the bonds when Elizabeth shouted, "Gilthunder! Why are you—"

"Wait, Elizabeth," Meliodas interrupted. "You know this guy?"

"He's Holy Knight Gilthunder," Elizabeth stammered. Her cheeks flushed and she bit her lip. "He's a Holy Knight… very close to… the king… my father…" The last bit came out almost as a whisper.

Meliodas frowned as he gave the Holy Knight a closer examination. There was no way. This couldn't be the same Gilthunder that he knew back in Liones. That kid had been nothing like this stoic knight who stalked towards them now with a hard scowl on his face. He clenched his fists, readying himself to fight, but Elizabeth continued, giving him pause. "He always took care of me like a little sister," she said. He looked over at her, and she was staring back at him, pleading with her eyes, _Don't hurt him_. "He's like a big brother to me!"

Well, that certainly _sounded_ like Gilthunder. "Hey," he said, struck with a sudden thought, "that sword at Bernia, and the spear that almost took out the village—it was all you, right?"

"Sir Meliodas!" Elizabeth scolded. "What a terrible thing to say!" Meliodas frowned. Did she not see the expression on this knight? And she was yelling at him? "He's not the kind of person who would do—"

Her voice caught as she turned back towards the Holy Knight. His dark intentions were evident on his face, and she gasped, "It's not true, is it? You can't be…"

Meliodas shook his head. Elizabeth had _always_ given the benefit of the doubt, even if it was obviously a terrible idea. _Wait_ , he thought to himself. _Not this Elizabeth, remember?_

"Whether you live or die has nothing to do with me," Gilthunder said. He raised his hand and released the bonds around Elizabeth. "Leave. I only have business with these Sins."

Meliodas breathed a sigh of relief. Now he could get down to business without worrying about her.

"I won't let you lay a hand on them! Release your spell and let them go!"

She stepped between them and raised her hands out, her voice determined. Meliodas' eyes grew wide. _Not_ this _Elizabeth? Sure about that?_ he wondered, doubt beginning to gnaw at him again.


	6. Chapter 6

Day ten on the run.

Hey friends, Dom here. I'm currently posting from a nice little diner off the highway. I managed to get out of my little holding "basement" otherwise known as a cell when the FedEx guy showed up with the voice-to-text program.

In other news, this voice-to-text program is REALLY useful. I mean seriously. I can write while running and I don't even have to touch a keyboard-!

Damn… someone tipped off lickitysplit! I gotta go!

 **THANK YOU FOR ALL OF YOUR REVIEWS AND MESSAGES!**

Mondemutt: So glad you are enjoying this. Naïve idiot with powers? NEVER!

LucyDragneel2009: We are confident Meliodas and Elizabeth will work out all their issues… eventually.

Kamira: Past and present Meliodas have been insanely fun to imagine and create. Thank you!

Cerulean Grace: You are truly too kind.

CaptainTwiggy0918: We have big shoes to fill now, hope we can do it!

Sassykitten1701: That's classified. And yes, cliffhangers _do_ suck.

Woundedowl: Um…. Thanks :D

BettyBest2: We are glad you are intrigued, which is always the goal.

Sofibbe: We understand that sometimes you just need to get it out. Thanks.

General Zargon: So glad you like the mixing. It's one of our favorite parts too.

Pen Name Cambria: And we love you!

.o0o.

Meliodas jumped from Diane's shoulder and landed easily on the back of Hawk Mama. "Alright, I've decided," he announced. "Let's go to Baste Dungeon first and pick up Ban."

"Are you sure that's a good idea?" Hawk squeaked. "If what that Holy Knight is saying is the truth, isn't that like jumping straight into the lion's den?"

"Either way, someone's keeping track of our movements," he answered. "Little Gil even went out of his way to find us in that forest that Holy Knights are supposed to avoid."

At the thought of Gilthunder, Meliodas unconsciously rolled his shoulder. If you had asked him years ago - hell, a _day_ ago - that the kid would be such an opponent, Meliodas would have thought you were crazy. His power was no joke, not that it was a surprise, being the son of the late Grand Master. Meliodas frowned in thought, picturing Zaratras in the tower on that damned day, his body completely pierced through—

"I… I'm against.. this!" Elizabeth's voice pulled him out of his memory. He and Diane turned towards her. Elizabeth's eyes narrowed as she insisted, "Instead of going to the dungeon, shouldn't we treat your wound first? If you fight the Holy Knights with a body like that…?"

Meliodas turned and looked at her, disturbed by her earnest expression. He _was_ pretty hurt, and he didn't want her to get suspicious… he needed a distraction. _Got it._ He was next to her in a flash and crouched down, pulling her skirt over his head. He nuzzled his face against one of her thighs and smiled. This was the best idea he had ever had, he decided.

"Maybe I'll get better if I do this," he mumbled against her skin.

"R-really…?" she breathed. Meliodas allowed himself to linger for one more moment before continuing, "Don't worry." He jumped to his feet and smiled up at her. "It's nothing. I'll be fine once I get some sleep."

Meliodas turned quickly to cover up the wince he could not keep from his face any longer. Using the last bit of his strength to appear nonchalant, he hopped up the steps and into the Boar Hat. Once the door was securely closed behind him, Meliodas let out a slow breath. He peered over his shoulder and grimaced at how much blood had soaked his shirt.

 _Why is this taking so long?_ he wondered. Although, to be honest, it was probably a good thing that he didn't heal right away. He didn't want Elizabeth to suspect anything about him. To her, he was just her savior, and he wanted to keep it that way as long as possible.

Meliodas climbed the steps to his room slowly, cursing Gilthunder with each one. He knew there was something wrong with the Holy Knight, knew it the moment he used the old charm he had taught him. "Did you have to strike me so damn hard?" he muttered to himself.

As he reached the room, a wave of dizziness hit. He opened the door and pushed it shut behind him, leaning back against the wood to steady himself. He needed to get to bed, and fast. If he was going to take Elizabeth to Baste, he needed to be in top condition to keep her safe. Gilthunder was the first and last Holy Knight he would underestimate.

Meliodas took a few steps before stumbling, darkness clouding his vision. As he crashed to the ground, he thought he heard Elizabeth's voice call his name.

.o0o.

Meliodas ran, eyes fixed to the south, the sun already nearing its highest point in the sky. It climbed on his left, acting as his compass through the thick forest.

 _This is wrong…_

Meliodas stumbled slightly in his mad sprint, but shook the lingering voice in his head away. He was free. He had the opportunity to escape and heeding Elizabeth's pleas, he had taken that opportunity. This is what he had been planning from the start.

Mile after mile flew by under him as he ran. One forest blended into another as the day wore on, and he pushed himself forward under the hot rays of the sun. How long had he been gone? Meliodas tried to calculate in his head. He was certain to be missed by now, and would need answers when he got back. He tried to think of an explanation he could give that they would believe; deserters were not tolerated in the demon army.

Elizabeth's face, the soft almost sad smile she gave as she watched him escape filled his head.

 _She's a traitor now, because of me_ , he thought and the following pang of guilt that accompanied those thoughts put a heavy weight on his chest.

For a split second, he paused, but immediately pushed Elizabeth out of his mind so he could keep going. The weight, though, grew heavier as he ran. He tried to focus on the growing energy from the demon camp, on searching for any scouts who might be nearby and needed avoiding, on even keeping his body moving, one foot in front of the other. Anything at all to keep that woman out of his head.

He had covered a lot of distance by the time that ache in his chest slowed him to a stop - like a heavy chain was wrapped around his body, pinning him to the spot; his jaw clenched tight as he panted to catch his breath. It took every bit of his self control to keep his back to the north and the Holy Knight's camp. His fists clenched at his side until his knuckles turned white, and he could feel his nails digging painfully into the palms of his hands.

 _This is wrong. I shouldn't have left her behind like that._

Meliodas realized he was shaking. Then, he made the mistake of glancing over his shoulder. There were no words to describe the rush of emotions that fell over him. These were feelings that were foreign to him, but one thing was all too clear: he had to go back.

He only took one step before a new energy stopped him. Meliodas wasn't often caught off guard, but the moment he felt that familiar spark of power in the air, his body went rigid. Like a field mouse being hunted by a snake.

"Why Meliodas, there you are." Estarossa's voice was as mild as ever. He turned his head and watched him approach. Estarossa moved with a calm determination, his face a mask of feigned concern.

"Still following me?" Meliodas joked, hoping his voice remained steady. He turned with a smile and placed his hands on the back of his head. "I figured you would have gotten tired of looking for me by now."

Estarossa's mouth curved slightly. "We've all been looking for you, actually."

Meliodas resisted the urge to swallow or allow his easy expression to change. "You knew where I was," he answered. "I had orders to do some reconnaissance on the enemy." His voice was tinged with an edge that made it clear this subject was closed.

He watched his brother steadily as Estarossa looked pointedly back in the direction Meliodas had just come. "I see," Estarossa answered. "You must have picked up a lot of intelligence, then, trekking halfway across Britannia they way you did."

It was clear to Meliodas that Estarossa was suspicious, but he breathed an inward sigh of relief when he turned to head back to where the demon army was stationed. Meliodas followed him without a word.

The camp was busy as the soldiers moved around to fulfill orders. Meliodas marked how much quieter it was here than in the bustling camp of the Holy Knights. Estarossa led him towards a tent, and he pushed past him to enter first. He found Zeldris standing inside, leaning over to speak to a figure. The man had nothing memorable about him. A rather unassuming demon, to say the least. There was only one reason someone so low in power would be sitting in this tent waiting on him. Meliodas took in a deep breath and forced himself to relax as he felt his hands starting to clench into fists. It was a regent of the demon king himself. _What does he want?_ He thought bitterly.

"Meliodas!" Zeldris said. Meliodas wasn't sure if it was surprise or annoyance, and then figured it was probably both. "You're back."

Meliodas ignored him and turned his focus on the regent. They regarded each other a moment before the regent spoke. "The Demon King will be glad to hear of your safe return. You had us worrying, General."

Meliodas concentrated on keeping his expression stoic. "I went in search of answers for the king, as was ordered. I scouted the Holy Knights and followed them to learn the source of their powers."

"Oh?" The regent shifted slightly in his chair. "Did you locate the source?"

"No." Meliodas lifted his chin, daring them to question him. "Their power seems to come from Britannia itself, just as we always suspected."

The regent nodded. "As His Majesty suspected, you say. Even more reason for this war to come to a swift and decisive conclusion so that the king can call Britannia his own."

"Did you run into any trouble?" Estarossa asked curiously.

Anyone listening would have thought Estarossa spoke purely out of concern for him, but he knew better. Meliodas slowly turned his head to glare at him. How could he have possibly hoped that his brother would stay the hell out of this? "Of course not," he growled in warning.

"You were gone for nearly two days." Zeldris narrowed his eyes and folded his arms. "What took so long?"

Now Meliodas turned his scowl on Zeldris. He had been gone for less than two days, and they were already questioning his word? He grit his teeth as his hands formed fists at his side, ready to show him exactly what a mistake it would be to challenge him on this. "No reason," he said.

"Where did you go?" Zeldris pressed. He took a step forward, and Meliodas watched his hand going instinctively to the hilt of his sword. His gaze moved from Zeldris' grip back to meet his brother's eyes darkly. _One more time_ , he thought. _Question me one more time._

"Halfway across Britannia." He sensed Estarossa shift, and he turned and gave him a smirk.

"You were supposed to be back sooner," Zeldris said. "We expected you well before nightfall."

Meliodas was moving before either of his brothers could react. His fist exploded at Zeldris, who managed to throw his arm up and partially block the blow. As Zeldris was knocked backwards, Meliodas grabbed his still raising arm and threw him to the ground. He reached behind his back to pull out his sword, suddenly remembering it had been taken at the camp. His anger flared and he used one foot to stomp on Zeldris' neck, pinning him down.

"I don't give a damn what you expected," he said slowly over the sound of Zeldris' neck cracking. His brother's hands gripped his leg, trying to push him off, but Meliodas was much too strong. He twisted his foot slowly to draw out the pain until the regent called for him to stop.

Meliodas stepped back, his mind clearing with the feeling of his demon powers rushing through his veins. The cloud that had seemed to settle over his mind while he was with Elizabeth was lifting. _Elizabeth_ , he thought for a moment, wondering what she would say if she saw him this way… but that was an easy thought to push away with the satisfaction of watching Zeldris try to sit up, struggling to regenerate the broken bones in his neck.

"We meant no harm, brother," Estarossa said gravely. Meliodas flicked his eyes to him. "Don't question me again," he warned, and left the tent.

He stormed through the camp, taking out a messenger with one swipe of his arm who had dared to step into his path on his way to his own tent. When he arrived, he pulled off his shirt and used it to wipe the dirt and sweat of his run from his neck and arms. He threw the shirt and pulled another one from his belongings. There was a moment's hesitation as he glanced down to the ghost of a scar running down his chest. The remnants of the blow he had taken for the woman lost in the woods - the apostle who had thrown herself in front of her own kind to help him escape.

 _Stop it!_ He shook his head, an angry snarl pulling at his lip before he pulled the new shirt over his head.

He fumed around the tent until he was interrupted by Estarossa. "What the hell do you want now?" he shouted at him angrily.

Estarossa waited a moment before calmly answering. "Now that you have safely returned, you are the commander here. I came to see if there were new orders."

Meliodas stopped and put his hands on his hips. He suddenly thought of all the things that would probably need his attention: inspections, reports from scouts, dealing with any prisoners, packing up and moving the unit to the next target. But one thing weighed most heavily on his mind. "Get the rest of the Commandments here," he barked at him. "With that regent here, I'm sure there will be a new decree coming from the king shortly. I want to be ready for whatever it is."

"Of course, brother," Estarossa said. He started to leave, but then stopped and turned around to face him. "Here, I got this for you. I figured you would be needing it after noticing that yours has somehow been misplaced." He tossed a sword, one of the hundreds of identical ones made for the infantry soldiers, at him. It landed with a thud at Meliodas' feet.

Meliodas' heart skipped a beat when he realized what it was. His eyes widened slightly and his head snapped up to look at his brother. Estarossa gave the general a knowing look and then left the tent without a word.

.o0o.

Meliodas found it easy to slip back into his role over the next few days. There was plenty to do, and he eagerly threw himself into preparing the entire camp to move. He did not know where yet, as they were still awaiting the orders, but he had hundreds of soldiers to prepare to go the moment word came from the demon king.

The other Commandments began to arrive as well at his command, which caused a stir in camp. Ordinarily he would be pleased, and would use the opportunity to have the army perform drills against the most powerful beings in Britannia. But there was something missing, something he couldn't explain. Everything now seemed… meaningless.

Elizabeth had asked him why they were at war, and it annoyed him that he did not have a good answer. The demon king wanted Britannia, and that was all. But was that enough? He decided it had to be, aggravated with himself for asking such inane questions. He was a general, the captain of the Ten Commandments, and he had a job to do. End of story.

So he did his duty, the inspections and the decisions and even the killing as needed. He performed it all without hesitation and without error. He worked, and he slept, and he worked again, not allowing himself even a minute to think.

The subject of his absence had been dropped, not that he had had much to worry about. He was the commander, after all, and no one would dare question the loyalty of the demon who would one day assume the throne. But his brother Estarossa was becoming a constant irritation. Zeldris had been sent elsewhere on an errand, but Estarossa remained at his side as always. Usually this would not bother him, as Estarossa seemed to idolize him. But now the way he looked at him, the way he spoke to him, Meliodas was not so sure.

It was not just the incident with the sword. That was a mistake, a stupid mistake, one Meliodas would not make again. He had obtained another without much fanfare, although Estarossa managed to comment on the upgrade at the first opportunity. There were other things, too, that he would say to agitate him: a comment during a planning meeting about Meliodas' "trip"; a reference to the amount of intel he had gathered. Meliodas would have no trouble taking care of Estarossa if he needed to, and if his brother continued on this dangerous path, he would be doing that sooner rather than later.

He received word that they would be moving the next day, and Meliodas had ordered the camp to be torn down and for everyone to be ready to go at first light. He still did not have the destination, which irked him immensely. Once he saw that his orders were well under way, he went to his own tent for some down time before they started on the next operation.

Rest did not come. The thoughts he had managed to escape for days came roaring back the second he was alone. Meliodas' mind played over and over again the last time he had seen Elizabeth, the power that she had commanded still astonishing. He was always good at reading an enemy, but the energy that came pouring out of her when she had saved him from the Holy Knights was nothing short of spellbinding.

A part of him wanted that power, wanted to control it and possess it. But more so, he wanted to protect it. The unexplainable need to defend Elizabeth and keep her from harm still completely confused him. He should have told the regent about the Apostle in the camp. Someone who could wield the power of the Goddess clan was dangerous to their kind, and would need to be taken out immediately. Which is precisely why he _hadn't_ said a word.

As he thought about Elizabeth's power, his mind wandered back to their conversation, the way she challenged him, the way she had even apologized. She was not afraid of him, and that was even more astounding than anything else. And the way she looked so peaceful as she slept… when she had dipped her body into the river, emerging as the water clung to her…

Meliodas shook his head, willing the images to leave. As he drifted into a restless sleep, the image of her standing defiantly against her own kind to save him burned in his mind.

.o0o.

Meliodas could tell immediately that he was dreaming. He was running through the woods, woods that were familiar from multiple lifetimes ago. His lungs burned and his legs ached but he could not stop running. But he didn't know if he was running to something or from something, and that uncertainty was his first clue.

When he felt as though his chest would burst, he finally stopped. Heaving as he bent over, Meliodas took a quick look around. He was standing next to a stream, and he stumbled over to splash his face with the cool water. He wore his tavern clothes, and he opened the collar a bit to run some water down his neck. There was a splashing sound nearby, and when he looked up, he saw Elizabeth dipping her head under the water.

His breath caught, his mouth opening in surprise. When she emerged again, he grinned as he saw her run her hands over her hair. This was going to be a really good dream.

She caught sight of him and grinned, waving frantically. "Sir Meliodas!" she called, and he smiled and waved back. Elizabeth hurried out of the water, and he saw that she was wearing the tavern uniform. He frowned in confusion for a moment, but shook it off as she ran over to him. Her hands cradled his face, and the coolness of her damp skin felt heavenly against his blazing cheeks.

"Please get better soon, Sir Meliodas," she said sweetly. Her hands moved to his forehead, pushing the locks of hair back.

"I'm fine," he started to say, and he realized he could not speak. _Right, dream_ , he thought suddenly, but then Elizabeth looked over her shoulder. She whirled back to him, startled. "Run, please," she said urgently. "This is your chance."

Meliodas shook his head. What was she talking about?

"Even you can't fight all of them," she whispered. When he didn't move, she pushed him. "Meliodas! _Go_!"

He ran again, ignoring the burning pain that radiated from his shoulder. He looked down and was startled to see blood pooling underneath his shirt. Meliodas crashed out of the forest, and came upon the Boar Hat. Relieved to be home, he jogged up the steps and stepped through the door, happy to hear the chime of the bell over the door.

"Hawk?" he called. "Elizabeth?"

"Here I am!" she called. He sighed and went to sit on a bar stool, but as he turned at the sound of her bustling out of the storage room, he nearly fell over.

It was Liz.

"There you are!" she laughed, walking behind the bar. She was dressed in full armor, the same armor that she wore when she died. "What have you been doing?" she asked.

"Why are you here?" he asked. There was a pain again in his chest, and he remembered the blood. He looked down and found himself in his Danafor uniform.

Liz laughed. "Here," she said, putting a mug on the counter. "It's a special formula that I made myself." Meliodas picked up the mug and drank it eagerly. Liz smiled at him warmly. "It will grant you peace."

Meliodas nodded, taking another drink. "What's that you have?" Liz asked, tilting her head to look behind him. He reached back and felt the dragon hilt. "What's so exciting about seeing this junk?" he asked her.

"Why is the Captain of the Seven Deadly Sins always holding onto that piece of junk wherever he goes?" she said teasingly. "Does it have incredible magic powers? Or is it… a priceless antique?"

Meliodas stared at her, shaking his head to clear it. None of this was making sense. He had to stop dreaming get out of there. Where was Elizabeth? Suddenly he was tired, so tired, and he could hear Liz say his name as he fell. Or was it Elizabeth? Which Elizabeth?

"Sir Meliodas?" Her voice was so sweet, it pulled him from his daze. He looked up and his head was in her lap. It was _her_ , his Elizabeth, the one he had met so many years ago. Her soft light was glowing around him as she healed him. They locked eyes, and he could feel himself getting stronger, the ache in his chest easing, his head clearing. "That was deadly poison," she said softly. "It wasn't medicine for healing your wounds."

Meliodas nodded, understanding now. He reached up and touched her hair, letting the strands slowly fall through his fingers. "Elizabeth needs you," she whispered softly.

"Elizabeth?" he said, confused again. Here was Elizabeth, right here. After all this time, they were together again. _This is a dream_ , he thought. But if this was a dream, how could she be healing him?

"It's a Holy Knight!" Elizabeth cried out, her voice rising with anxiety. Panic seized Meliodas, and he could suddenly hear and see everything: the room, the bed, Elizabeth screaming, and the Holy Knight, trying to take his sword. He surged upwards, ignoring the stiffness in his limbs, and grabbed the dragon hilt with his hand. "I won't let go of this sword, even if I die," he said. "This is the one and only thing I can do to atone for my sins!"


	7. Chapter 7

There was shouting coming from everywhere, but Meliodas surged forward, his hand gripping the familiar dragon hilt with every ounce of his power. He still felt sluggish, half-asleep even, but without even opening his eyes he knew that Elizabeth was in danger, and that someone was trying to take his weapon.

So he did the only thing he could think of in that moment: open the carefully constructed walls that held his demon power in check. As soon as he allowed himself into that part of his mind, of his power, the electricity inside him was instantaneous. Meliodas felt the familiar burn of the mark on his forehead, the singeing of the darkness that now rippled down his arms. He used the last bit of his consciousness that was in tact to rein it in and keep himself from doing any more damage than was necessary.

With the demon power unlocked, his senses were immediately heightened. He first felt for Elizabeth's location, his power registering that she was there, and unharmed, standing with Hawk. Then he saw the doctor, shouting in the corner of the room—and the Holy Knight who now stood over them, trying to pull the dragon sword from his grasp.

"I won't let go of this sword, even if I die," Meliodas said. "It's the only way I can atone for my sins."

The shouting was everywhere again: the doctor exclaiming his act impossible; Hawk ordering to know what the mark was on his head; and Elizabeth, calling his name, her voice neither accusing or demanding, but only concerned. And it was that voice that kept the demon inside him in check, even as the Holy Knight laughed and said he was taking the sword, and the princess. Even as every single cell in his body screamed for him to destroy this threat, her voice held him back, and Meliodas simply looked up at him with malice in his eyes.

.o0o.

Meliodas stepped into the tent where the rest of the officers had gathered. Instructions from the demon king had finally arrived, and in the early morning light, they quieted their talk when the general entered.

He held out his hand for the scroll with their destination, his eyes lingering for a moment on the regent who, surprisingly, was still with them. It irritated Meliodas greatly to have him there, feeling as though he was looking over his shoulder, trying to find something to report back. Meliodas had enough secrets to hide now that he wanted that regent gone as soon as possible.

He broke the seal on the scroll and began to read. "We are heading towards a known camp of Holy Knights," he said coldly. "There is a suspicion they are harboring at least one Apostle." Meliodas swallowed thickly. As he looked over the information, he could feel the hair rising on the back of his neck. Trying to remain stoic, he frowned before holding the paper out to one of the commanders. "Show me where these coordinates are."

A giant map of Britannia covered the table, and the soldier quickly scurried around to trace his finger along the crisscrossing lines. "Right here, General," he answered.

"We may need to consider splitting into four or five units," another spoke as they all stood over the map. "There is a river here on one side, that can provide a multitude of escape routes into the forest."

"It may be best to approach from the west," offered another. "They wouldn't expect us from the mountain range. We can flush them out that way and have the rest of the force waiting on the other side."

"His Majesty expects a report in seven days," said the commander as he reread the scroll. "But it will take us at least four or five to travel this far with our entire force and get into position. This is going to complicate things if we want a surprise attack."

"Then I suggest you get started immediately," the regent ground out. They all looked at him as he turned to Meliodas. "Don't you agree, general?"

Meliodas, however did not answer. His eyes were trained on the map, frozen in place. He knew those coordinates were familiar. He had been there just days before. Their next target was Elizabeth's camp.

"General?" the regent said again, and Meliodas snapped back to the present. He looked around the room at the soldiers awaiting his orders, his eyes once more landing on the regent, who was regarding him with a mixture of curiosity and amusement. Meliodas cleared his throat. "We leave in an hour. Have the scouts ready."

Before anyone could answer, he swept out of the tent and practically ran back to his own. His skin felt like fire, and as he crashed inside, he practically fell against the table, gripping it to keep himself steady. _They were heading to Elizabeth's camp._ Their orders were to destroy every last creature they found. He pictured her suddenly, her eyes soft and pleading as she told him to run. She stood between him and death, and now he was leading an army in order to kill her.

 _I can't let this happen._ His arms shook as he broke out into a sweat, and Meliodas breathed deeply, trying to get a hold on the swirling emotion that was causing his heart to pound and his stomach to roll. _I can't let this happen._ He needed to get to her, warn her, get her _away_ from that place before the slaughter began. He had seen that camp, knew its weaknesses, knew the number of Holy Knights and soldiers and the levels of power they possessed. It would be a difficult and bloody battle, but he had no doubts that the demons would come out victorious.

Quickly he flew to a large chest in the corner, pulling it open and grabbing metal arm bands, a cloak, and a dagger. He slipped the armor on before securing the cloak around his shoulders, replacing his sword across his back overtop. But as he belted the dagger around his waist, Meliodas paused. How was he going to do this? The army was leaving in an hour, on _his_ command. Once the demons realized he was gone, they would have a new target.

 _It doesn't matter._ Meliodas finished securing the dagger, his mind decided. He had to get to Elizabeth. She needed to be put somewhere safe. He did not understand, could never understand this drive of his to protect her, his absolute need to know that she would be out of danger. But it was real, the first genuine reflex he had felt since this entire cursed war had begun; he felt it within every inch of him, and it would not be denied.

If he used his true demon powers, he would be able to fly there, perhaps even get there before he was missed. Using his power would make him easy to track, but Meliodas didn't care. He would find her, take her away to somewhere safe, and when he knew she was secure he would return to his post. He could figure out an excuse somehow. _I'll worry about that later_ , he thought.

Now that he was ready, Meliodas turned to leave, but to his fury Estarossa stepped inside the tent. "Get out of my way," Meliodas growled, but Estarossa only tilted his head a bit. "Where are you going? I just heard we were leaving in less than an hour. What are the orders for the Ten Commandments?"

Meliodas pulled up short. Leave it to Estarossa to get in the way of his plans. "Just tell them to follow," he answered in a clipped tone.

Estarossa raised an eyebrow slightly. "Where are you going?" he asked again.

"I'm going to scout for myself," he answered, not missing a beat, keeping his tone even. "I don't trust the reports we received."

"You are right as always, Meliodas," Estarossa responded. "The positions and the numbers don't match what you told us, do they?"

Meliodas gave him a dark glare. "Is there something else you wanted? I have a job to do."

"Shall I accompany you?" he asked. "It's a lot of ground to cover, and I could—"

"No," Meliodas answered, cutting him off firmly. The two regarded each other for a long, tense moment, before Estarossa nodded. "I'll see you soon, then, general," he said, and Meliodas gave him a final dangerous look as he swept past him.

He gave final orders before summoning his demon powers. Now that Estarossa had seen him leave, there was no need to try to slip away without notice. He took to the air as the dark marks shot out down both hands, and he flew over the camp before turning northward.

.o0o.

Meliodas landed on the branch of a tree, trying to remain hidden. He could sense Elizabeth nearby. Her energy called out to him, unmistakable, and he shook off the reason why he could feel her so clearly. There were others nearby as well, and he tried to cloak himself as best as he could before they noticed him. It pleased him to know that they were too weak to sense him, but also irritated that Elizabeth was with such incompetents. If anyone else had stumbled upon them, there's no telling what would have happened to her.

"Hurry up!" one of the men shouted, and they moved just a few yards away. Meliodas could easily take them out. With just one swipe of his hand, the enemy would be gone. But he remembered her scolding voice and her pleading eyes when he faced the Holy Knights before, so he remained still, waiting for his opportunity.

He watched as three men walked through, carrying a fourth on a makeshift stretcher, and Elizabeth trailed behind them, carrying a small bag and hurrying to keep up. As they came through the trees and into his line of vision, the sight of her nearly took his breath away. It had been days since he had seen her, and to have her again, so close, was more powerful than he could have ever imagined. Meliodas was dazed by her for several seconds; but then he remembered why he was here, the threat that was coming, and moved silently towards them.

He stepped down to the ground and followed, only inches from her now, and when the men continued on through the forest, he reached out and grabbed her. Elizabeth did not even have a chance to scream before his hand was on her mouth, his arm tight around her, and he jumped. They sailed into the air, moving several dozen yards away. But then Elizabeth started to panic, writhing and fighting his hold, and Meliodas brought them gently back to the ground before she could slip from his grip.

Her shouts were muffled by his hand, and when her feet touched the ground, she tried to wrench herself away from him; they both tipped forward and tumbled to the ground as she pulled them off-balance. "Elizabeth!" he hissed in her ear, and she immediately stilled, turning to look at him in shock over her shoulder.

She gasped, her eyes wide, and slowly he took his hand from her mouth. He looked at her, his eyebrows drawing down tightly when he felt her trembling in his arms. Meliodas searched her eyes, watching her carefully, and without thinking he lifted a hand and brushed her hair behind her shoulder.

"Meliodas!" she breathed, and a heat flared up his neck at hearing her voice say his name. "What are you doing here?"

"I needed to find you," he whispered back. His hands gripped her arms, pulling her closer to him so he could speak as quietly as possible. "You're in danger."

But Elizabeth wasn't listening, and instead was turning her head around frantically, looking through the trees. "You have to get out of here—there are soldiers everywhere, and if they find you here—"

"Elizabeth," he hissed, giving her a little shake, and her face snapped back to his. "The demons are coming. They'll be here by the end of the week, and when they arrive they will exterminate everyone in the camp."

The silence that stretched then was deafening. Elizabeth's already pale complexion seemed to blanch whiter than snow. "No," she whispered, trembling in fear. "No, we have to—we have to get out of here—"

Meliodas nodded and pulled her up to stand. "Come with me, I'll get you somewhere safe, and then—"

"What?" Elizabeth shook her head, pulling out of his grasp. "I can't leave! We have to go and warn the others!"

" _Elizabeth_ —" he hissed.

"No!" she insisted, stepping backwards. It was not fear that drove her away from him though. She was afraid, he could see that in the way her body shook. But the look of resolution that fell over her expression gave the demon pause.

"I can't just abandon them, Meliodas."

What was it about this woman that drove him to the brink of insanity and back? A soft growl built in his throat at seeing her undying loyalty to the Knights who had cast her as the villain. The men who would have killed her without a second thought! "Are you really going to risk your life to save the wretches who treated you like a traitor?!" he hissed again through clenched teeth.

Despite seeing her flinch at his harsh words, Meliodas didn't regret them. The Apostle's soft brow furrowed as she thought; her blue eyes drifting from him for a moment before slowly coming back up to lock with his own gaze.

Not for the first time did he see an apology there in her eyes as she nodded.

"There's no _time_ ," Meliodas said, stepping closer, and Elizabeth took another step back.

"You're certainly right about that. In fact, you're out of time."

Elizabeth's soft features tensed as she looked up beyond him, expression deceiving her confusion and growing fear for the new presence in their midsts. She was right to be afraid...

"I expected more from you, Meliodas."

Meliodas' blood ran cold, heart nearly stopping in his chest. This had been a trap… set for him. And he had played right into his brother's hands.

He could feel the dark power behind him surging forward, covering them both, and he knew that Elizabeth could feel it to just by the expression on her face. Blue eyes darted back to lock with his, asking - no - pleading for answers. Answers he couldn't give her even if he could form them for himself. He had come to save her, and in doing so only put her in danger's path.

"I took you for overly curious. Not a traitor. But then you lied about the intel you were gathering, and I just had to see for myself what would make you act so foolishly."

Estarossa's eyes fell on Elizabeth then and his lips turned up into a sinister looking grin. "I see that was another lie."

Meliodas kept his eyes locked with Elizabeth's, willing her to keep silent and still. He cursed himself as he felt his brother begin to walk around them. "I suppose you're the one to blame. Cast some sort of spell over him? Worry not, Meliodas, I will release you from your madness." Estarossa took steps forward, eyes fixated on Elizabeth, just as Meliodas turned so that he is directly in his path.

"You're going to stand against me? Your own flesh and blood?"

"I won't let you hurt her."

Estarossa let out a low chuckle, "A different kind of enchantment then." His low chuckle erupted into something far darker as it grew in volume, "Oh, Meliodas, when did you become so soft?" he hissed in discontempt.

"I'm warning you, Estarossa. Return to the camp. Now." As he spoke, he took a step back, and felt Elizabeth instinctively step forward, pressing a hand against his back.

"Shouldn't that be my line?" He watched as Estarossa's eyes slid back to Elizabeth, his powers slipping over them again, and Meliodas felt her stiffen behind him, her hand clenching into the back of his shirt. "Is this—oh, Meliodas," he said with a chuckle and a shake of his head. "This is the Apostle the king was looking for, isn't it? When you decide to commit treason, you do go all out. Although I can see that she does have certain… assets." Estarossa's smile grew cold and he continued, "Hand over the girl, and I might consider forgetting this treachery. We can go back to where we belong, with the demon army."

Meliodas remained silent, but strong in front of Elizabeth. Unmoving.

"Have it your way. I didn't plan on letting you live, anyway."

.o0o.

Meliodas pushed his power outwards towards the Holy Knight, but before he even did anything to him, the knight turned and leapt straight out of the window. The glass shattered as he flew through the pane, and Meliodas gripped the dragon sword tightly, watching him run.

He took a long, deep breath. Slowly he felt his demon powers retreating, the crackling heat sliding slowly beneath his skin and back inside. Meliodas waited until he was sure it was gone, carefully packed away as it had been for years and years, until he risked turning to look at Elizabeth.

Behind him, he heard her soft voice ask, "Um… you're Sir Meliodas… right?"

Meliodas bowed his head down, gripping the handle tightly. He willed her to stay back, stay away from him until he was sure he had a handle on the monster inside him. He heard her take a step towards him, and then another. To his relief, in the next moment it was gone, and he could focus again.

"Yo," he said, turning around with a smile. "Elizabeth."

He looked around in confusion as she grinned and clapped her hands. "It's really you, Meliodas!" she said excitedly.

"Where are we?" Meliodas asked. This place was completely unfamiliar. The last thing he remembered was being in the Boar Hat… and then collapsing. He rubbed his shoulder reflexively as Elizabeth explained, "This is Dalmary town, near Baste Dungeon. We came here to treat your wounds."

"Hmm," he replied. It was the oddest sensation, but his shoulder felt… good. Healed, even though his demon energy had not done it. "And who was that weird guy just now?" he asked, looking at the dragon hilt in his hand.

"A Holy Knight named Golgius or something," Hawk replied. "It looks like he was after the princess and your broken sword."

"What?" Meliodas was even more confused, something he did not have a ton of experience with feeling. How did the knight know? Why would he want the sword… _and_ Elizabeth? It was too much of a coincidence… wasn't it?

"It looks like that doctor was working with him too…" Hawk continued, and suddenly Meliodas was ripping the bandages away. He recalled his dream, flashing clear in his mind, and how the Elizabeth he dreamed about cautioned him about the Holy Knight; about how Liz had given him a drink to sleep. He knew what that could mean, and prepared for the worst as he pulled the wrappings away.

But there was nothing there. Just a small scar where his shoulder had been stabbed. No sign of the bleeding that even his power had difficulty containing. "Huh?" he said in wonder. "It's… already healed."


	8. Chapter 8

Meliodas stared at the Holy Knight who had tried to take his sword, and the princess. "I, Golgius, am of a cowardly nature, and hate fighting to begin with," he said, his voice booming from inside his helmet. "Especially against someone like the Captain of the legendary Seven Deadly Sins."

Meliodas frowned. _Yeah right_.

A split second later he flung his arm out, blocking the two sharpened discs that came flying at them. He heard Elizabeth gasp behind him, the sound so familiar it nearly gave him a jolt, but he forced himself to keep his focus on the knight. It was one thing for him to try to poison him, steal his sword, or kidnap Elizabeth. But he could not stand a liar.

"Those were my assassination weapons I threw," Golgius shouted. "You noticed them after all?"

"Don't underestimate me," Meliodas said, trying to figure out his next move. "I can spot exposed panties from a mile away."

The last thing he expected, though, was to hear the doctor shouting a few yards away. "Lord Golgius!" he yelled, drawing their attention. "I gave him the poison, just like you said! Now return my daughter like you promised!"

"It's that shitty doctor!" Hawk squealed, and Meliodas felt something shift behind him. He turned in an instant, putting Elizabeth behind him, already lifting his sword, but the knight was gone.

"Elizabeth," he breathed, "don't leave my side." His body tensed, ready to react, pushing his senses out to locate the knight. It didn't make any sense that he could teleport, so how did he get around so fast? He wasn't worried for himself, but Elizabeth… he had already tried to take her once, and he'd be damned if he let that happen again.

"I will return your daughter to you, don't worry." That voice again rang out down the street, and Meliodas narrowed his eyes, pinpointing where it came from, even though there was nothing there.

"Get away from there!" he called out to the doctor, but too late. "In the next world, that is," Golgius said as he appeared, thrusting his sword through the doctor's body. "Can't have anyone finding out Holy Knights are poisoning kids." He heard Elizabeth scream behind him, and Meliodas felt a hot flash of anger rise up inside of him. Here was another person, dead, murdered, because of him. Another innocent life, gone.

"Doctor Dana!" Elizabeth screamed. She pushed Meliodas to the side, causing him to stumble, and then she took off running towards the man who had crumpled and now lay bleeding in the street.

"Elizabeth!" he shouted after her, as the Holy Knight disappeared again.

.o0o.

Meliodas watched as Estarossa took a step to the side. He knew what that meant; it was a distraction technique, to keep his eyes on his movements instead of focusing on how he was manipulating his energy. He pushed his senses out, trying to see if there was anyone or anything else nearby, but to his relief, the three of them were alone.

"I won't warn you again," he said. "Move another inch and I'll rip each one of your hearts out."

Estarossa narrowed his eyes. "I won't say the same for you. You are too valuable to the demon race. But this one-" his eyes flickered over Meliodas' shoulder, "-that would be simply fulfilling my duty."

"You won't touch her," Meliodas answered, his voice dark and threatening.

"And where will you go, Meliodas?" Estarossa considered him a moment, his expression somber. "There is nowhere in Britannia you can hide from this."

Meliodas took a steadying breath. His brother was baiting him, trying to make him angry, fill him with hate so that he would fall victim to his commandment. He focused his mind on protection for Elizabeth, on keeping himself alive, and nothing more. A warm feeling filled him then, as Elizabeth's fingers moved along his back.

The two brothers stared at one another for a long moment, neither side relenting to the other. Meliodas did not want to kill him. He had already committed treason for coming here. The best he could hope for now was to spend the rest of his life in chains. But killing an officer in the king's army- to save the life of a druid, an Apostle of the Goddesses, no less- it would bring the entire realm down on him with one strike. For a split second, he thought that maybe they could come out of this unscathed, that Estarossa would give up and leave.

But then Estarossa flicked his wrist, a bolt of dark magic shooting straight at Elizabeth, and Meliodas shifted in front of her, remaining calm as he raised his hand, his thumb inward. " _Counter Vanish_ ," he said, his power flaring out, and he thought he heard a chuckle come from the demon as his attack disappeared with a puff of wind.

 _Enough was enough_ , Meliodas decided. He pushed Elizabeth backwards, ignoring her yelp of surprise, and in one swift movement had his sword drawn and thrusting forward. Estarossa dodged, but Meliodas grinned at the unmistakable sound of ripping fabric. The blade sliced upwards, forcing his brother backwards, and Meliodas advanced.

All of his reasoning shut off, replaced only by his need to _strike_ , his need to _win_. He advanced again, and again, pushing Estarossa back, back towards the trees, back away from Elizabeth. Estarossa's own weapon was out, blocking his blows, but Meliodas was too fast. Not once did he get the upper hand, not once did the demon stumble. The strikes came quickly, not allowing Estarossa a chance to use his _Full Counter_.

Fire was burning across his forehead, and he could feel his powers dancing beneath his skin, practically aching with the need to be released. But he did not want to use his powers, knowing it would serve only as a beacon, alerting every enemy within ten miles to his location. He swung his sword again, and Estarossa lurched towards him instead of away. The sudden movement actually caught him off guard, and then his jaw exploded.

It was the surprise more than the pain that cause Meliodas to lose his focus on the attack, and Estarossa used this to make his own move. Another blow hit his ribs, then his neck, and Meliodas actually staggered as he felt a kick to his thigh. He managed to swing and land a punch of his own, but then he heard his brother call, " _Blackout_."

Meliodas laughed as all light was suddenly extinguished. "Is this a joke?" he shouted, almost insulted that his brother would use such an inferior attack on him. There was no way that Estarossa believed he would fall victim to darkness, being made from darkness himself. He was enjoying the fight, enjoying being able to let loose on an enemy, even if part of him was holding back. It was clear Estarossa was trying to provoke him again into lashing back at him with a physical attack, so he could use his own Counter technique. "Show yourself," he commanded, his senses already picking up easily on movement just a few feet away, and violet flames burst to life along the edge of his sword.

But then another voice cut through the blackness, a female voice calling his name. He spun around, lunging towards the sound, and he suddenly saw the shape of his brother moving. He was closing in on her, moving faster than Meliodas ever thought possible. He wasn't going to reach her, he wasn't going to get there in time, so he abandoned his plan to not use his demon powers and summoned every ounce within him.

" _Enchantment Hellblaze_ ," Meliodas growled. The attack flared outward, illuminating the forest in a flash of heat, and he watched as Estarossa's body flew through the air, crashing into the trees. Elizabeth screamed, and in the corner of his eye he saw her silver hair floating around her, as she clutched her arms around her body and braced herself against the assault of magic.

The darkness was suddenly gone, and Meliodas blinked rapidly against the brightness of the afternoon.

Estarossa was gone too, he discovered, when he ran to follow the trail of dirt that was left from his skidding across the ground. Branches from the forest were broken and left in a wreckage around them, but all that was left was a deep imprint from where Estarossa had landed. Meliodas squeezed his hand around the hilt of his sword, debating for a moment whether to go after him. But Elizabeth's presence behind him stayed him, and he cursed under his breath as he felt a sharp increase in her energy. She must be healing herself, which meant that she was hurt; and with a last, malicious glance towards where his brother had fled, he turned to return to her.

Elizabeth was leaning against the trunk of a tree, breathing slowly and deeply. It reminded him of how he first saw her, escaping the battle during the retreat of the Holy Knights. Her arms were wrapped tightly around herself, and there was a faint glow to her skin. He paused in his approach, taking in the sight of her, feeling the tightening in his chest that was becoming familiar when it came to this druid girl. With the sound of his approach, her eyes flew to him, wide and shimmering with alarm, before glancing away.

"Are you hurt?" he asked curtly, uncomfortable with how much fear had seemed to be in her eyes. Was she scared of him? He laughed to himself at the thought. _Good. It's about time_.

Meliodas reached out and pulled her arms free, and saw a burn along the side of her forearm. Gently he brushed his fingers over the blister, swallowing when her skin flinched away. "It's healing," she said quickly, tugging out of his grip, still not meeting his gaze.

He searched her face for a moment, waiting for her to continue. "We need to go," he said finally.

Elizabeth heaved a sigh and shook her head. "I told you, I'm not—" Finally she lifted her eyes to him, and then they went wide. "Meliodas! You're hurt!"

He frowned and assessed himself. He didn't feel anything particularly bad, just stinging pain from the cuts and bruises from Estarossa's blows, soreness in his chest from the kick to his ribs. Meliodas went to answer, but then her hands were on his arms, pushing for him down on the soft grass. He sat heavily, obediently, and again he wondered how he could possibly allow her to command him, how he could give in to her without a fight.

"Let me help you…" the druid said, dropping to her knees in front of him and reaching out towards him. He could already feel the warmth of her healing powers before she had even made contact with his skin.

It felt like a little shock of electricity as it touched him. Meliodas flinched away from Elizabeth's fretting fingers as she reached to put a hand on his tender skin, turning his face to the side so she could look at the bruise on his cheek, the cut on his lip. "It's really nothing…" he said, keeping his eyes cast to the side with a scowl.

"Stop it." The tone of her voice surprised him. Her normal cheerful cadence was gone, replaced with something forcefully chastising. But more than that, it was breaking with tears she was holding back. He turned wide eyes on her, completely startled by the anger and sadness in her features. The glow that surrounded her flashed brighter, and he felt it consume him completely.

"This isn't nothing, Meliodas!" Her lip trembled slightly as her touch slid down his cheek. He could feel the skin healing easily, sewing itself back together, the tender flesh extra sensitive to her touch. Meliodas watched in awe as a single tear slid down the side of her face. "You were hurt because you came back to warn us! Now you're being considered a traitor! How is this noth—" Her question was suddenly cut off and turned into a surprised muffled sound.

Meliodas hadn't even felt his body move, but his hand reached to cradle her neck, pulling her closer and pressing his lips to hers. She gasped against his mouth as they stayed there, frozen for a moment. Then he tightened the fingers holding her against him, and he tilted his head a bit, stroking her lips with his, tasting her. She was so soft, and cool against his feverish skin. He closed his eyes, kissing her slowly, curling the strands of her hair between his fingertips. It felt like kissing light, like he could never get enough; but dangerous too, somehow, like staring too long in the sun.

All too soon, it was over. Elizabeth pulled away, wide blue eyes searching his, a bright flush dominating her cheeks. He stared at her, not knowing what to say, but desperate to kiss her again, no matter how much of a mistake it was. His fingers tightened against her neck as his eyes trailed down to her lips, to her chest that rose and fell. Meliodas felt her hand slide from where she cupped his cheek, down to the side of his neck. His skin felt like fire, and the coolness of her hand was soothing, more comforting than anything he could have ever imagined, had ever experienced.

She whispered his name, and the sound sent a sudden thrill through him. Suddenly he clenched his hand in her hair, the other going to her arm, pulling her forward against him as he rose up on his knees. He tilted her head backwards, dragging his gaze down her neck. Meliodas was filled with an unexpected surge of desire, and whether it was from the battle or from her healing magic or just the way she said his name he didn't know, and he didn't care. The plan to get her out of there, to protect her and keep her safe, was completely extinguished by one thought: he wanted her, _now_.

But before he could act on his impulse, Elizabeth pressed her palms on his chest. At once Meliodas felt his pulse begin to slow, his breathing ease. He frowned down at her, wondering how she was able to influence him with just a touch, Elizabeth seeming to stop him—again.

"Meliodas," she said, gently but firmly. He swallowed before easing back and loosening his grip on her. He watched as she stood, and Elizabeth tugged gently at his shoulders. "Come, we need to go."

"Go?" he asked, shaking the confusion away as he rose to his feet. "I thought you said—"

"I'm going back to the camp," she answered, ignoring the scowl that came over his face. "I need to warn them about the demons."

Meliodas shook his head, his hand firm on her elbow. "The last time we were there, they wanted to kill us both."

Elizabeth laughed then, surprising him as she answered, "You aren't coming with me. You need to find somewhere to hide. The Holy Knights won't let you get away again, and based on what just happened, I doubt the demons—"

"No," he said with finality. "I'm not leaving you. Not again."

Her brows shot up a bit, and Meliodas could hear her sharp intake of breath. But she ignored his comment, and said, "Then I suppose you're coming with me. I will not leave these people to die."

Frustration flared inside him as she met his determined glare with her own. Did she not understand the danger that they were all in now? But he could read in her eyes that short of throwing her over his shoulder—which struck him as an idea worth at least contemplating—she was not going to abandon this idea. "Fine," he finally ground out. "We'll go back to the camp and warn them. And then you are coming with me. Agreed?"

Elizabeth hesitated for just a moment, and then nodded. Then Meliodas found himself somehow walking once more straight back towards enemy territory.

.o0o.

Elizabeth fell to the ground next to the doctor, sobbing, "Doctor Dana! Please!" She grabbed his shoulders and gave him a shake. "Please pull yourself together!"

Meliodas moved in a flash, standing next to her, his eyes surveying every corner and shadow around them. "Elizabeth, it's dangerous to be here!" He glanced down at her, grimacing as she tried to stop the bleeding. He watched for a moment as a tear dropped down the side of her face. The sight made his chest constrict, and he wondered what to do. This wasn't something he could fight or protect her from. He had never been a healer. _That was someone else, from a long time ago_ , he thought.

"Elizabeth," he tried again, as the seconds ticked by, "we don't know where he'll appear again."

"But," she cried, looking up at him, "we can't just leave him here to die…" Her voice cracked, overcome with sorrow, and Meliodas watched as a single tear formed in the corner of her eye, sitting there a moment before it slid down her cheek.

He knew she was right, but they could not stay. Meliodas opened his mouth to argue again when there was a shift in the air. "Here we go," Golgius said, and his sword sliced through the air, lowering towards Elizabeth, every one of his senses going off at once like alarm bells inside of him.

The captain saw each second clearly, as though each was its own hour. As Golgius' hand swept down, the blade aimed straight for her face, Meliodas turned his body, swinging the broken dragon hilt sword around. He counted each moment in his mind, understanding instinctively the angle of the attack, knowing where and how to move, and metal sounded against metal as he easily blocked the swing with a grunt of effort.

Elizabeth gasped again, and that sound brought back the traces of his fury. He could feel his reasoning beginning to turn off, the only thing left in his mind, the only thing that mattered in that moment, was protecting her. Meliodas narrowed his eyes and pulled back his arm, his hand balling into a fist that he brought crashing into the Holy Knight's armor…

And then he was gone, again.

"What should we do?" Hawk shouted, running in a circle around Meliodas and Elizabeth. "Is it teleportation?"

Meliodas wrapped an arm around Elizabeth, hauling her up and against his back. He felt her hand slide along his back, her fingers grasping his shirt, and the touch sent a shiver through him. All he knew in that moment was the hitch in Elizabeth's throat, her touch at his back… and then the familiar shifts in the air once more.

"You're a smart pig," the knight's voice said, "Yes… before my teleportation… all your powers are useless."

He moved, seeing the attack clearly, blocking blow after blow that seemingly came from nowhere. As he moved he could see Elizabeth's reaction out of the corner of his eye, and he was gripped with a sudden fear that she would move or try to intervene. But then Golgius stepped forward, dropping his sword down on top of them with all his might, and Elizabeth screamed, wrapping her arms around herself, bracing against the oncoming blow.

With one swipe after another, Meliodas blocked the knight's attempts, moving around Elizabeth easily. But he knew it was only a matter of time before one of them slipped, so he grabbed the princess' hand and took off with Hawk at his heels, shouting, "We're running!"

He continued to attack, appearing over and over again just to swipe at them, or try to take the princess, but Meliodas fought him off each time. It was getting more and more difficult to predict his movements as the knight grew more desperate, and he was forced to throw Elizabeth's body around him to keep her from coming into contact with Golgius' sword.

"I can trace his metallic smell!" Hawk panted as they ran, "but if we're too busy running, there's nothing we can do!"

"Trace his smell?" Meliodas muttered under his breath, and then smiled to himself. He snatched up Elizabeth's hand and pulled her sharply to the left, cutting down a small street, Hawk still fast behind them.

As Meliodas picked up the pace, Golgius voice followed them. "No matter where you run and hide," the knight boomed, "I will come and find you." Meliodas heard Elizabeth cry out, but he continued running, determined to keep her safe.


	9. Chapter 9

"Over here!"

Meliodas pulled Elizabeth behind him, running into an abandoned building. He needed to put her somewhere, get her somewhere _safe_ , away from these Holy Knights who were bent on death and destruction and not protecting the innocent. He huffed to himself humorlessly.

When he had been a Holy Knight, their job was defending the kingdom. Their focus was serving the king and the people. They worked for the citizens, not the other way around. Every single one of these knights he encountered, however, were driven solely by their own desires, to feed their own egos. They wanted power and glory and to show themselves off. All but one, that is—

"Meliodas," Hawk piped up, interrupting his thoughts, "Why are you running into an abandoned building?"

"Hawk!" Meliodas admonished, taking the stairs two at a time, Elizabeth's hand still tightly clasped in his own. Up and up they ran, taking one flight of steps after another, but Meliodas did not slow their breakneck pace. "Do you really want to involve the townspeople in this?"

The pig stammered his disagreement, but Meliodas only half-listened. They had arrived at a room at the top of the stairs, and he looked around in thought. There had to be a way to get Golgius away from Elizabeth long enough to find out what was going on…

Suddenly, he grinned, a plan forming in his mind. He pulled the dragon hilt from his back and made several swipes on the floor. "What are you doing?" Hawk demanded.

"Magic spell," Meliodas muttered as he worked. "It'll keep him from coming in here."

"That bastard!" Hawk squealed, stomping his hoof on the ground. "He said he wanted to kidnap Elizabeth, but then he tried to kill her!"

Meliodas looked over to where the princess sat on the floor, her hands on her knees, bent forward as she caught her breath. Hawk was only mostly right, he decided. But there was something unusual going on. "He knew I'd protect her," he said quietly. "He was forcing me to protect her, hoping I'd give him an opening."

Elizabeth's face snapped up in surprise, and they locked eyes for a moment. Her mouth parted slightly, still drawing in deep breaths, but Meliodas only smiled. This Holy Knight had underestimated him. He _would_ protect Elizabeth, only Golgius had no idea just how far he would go.

.o0o.

Elizabeth led Meliodas through the woods, heading towards the camp. Every minute that ticked by seemed like an eternity to him, who wanted to just _go_. The longer they stayed there, more worst-case scenarios rose unbidden in his mind. They could be discovered by the demons, or the Holy Knights. Estarossa could return, his mind set on exterminating her.

But the most dangerous thing Meliodas feared was himself. His eyes remained trained away from her, pointedly ignoring the shimmer of her hair or the graceful way her hips moved. The kiss they had shared had turned a dangerous switch, and the demon was trying his absolute damnedest to ignore the slowly mounting agitation inside of him.

Straight ahead, the energies of the approaching camp pressed against him, causing his demon powers to flare beneath his skin. Something struggled to be let loose, the instinct to _destroy_ threatening to become overwhelming. But keeping his focus on his surroundings instead of the druid girl walking ahead him, keeping his eyes fixated on the ground and his mind on the fluctuating power levels nearby, allowed him to keep his own raging insides in check.

She stopped, holding up a hand as she listened. "We're close by," Elizabeth said quietly. "I think we should wait until tonight to sneak inside, when it's dark, and go straight to Lady Jenna. If we try now, the Holy Knights are sure to spot us immediately."

Meliodas frowned. "Why all the secrecy?"

Elizabeth turned her face, not meeting his gaze. "The Holy Knights were angry when you escaped. They won't let you have another opportunity. They won't stop to ask questions this time." She sighed. "They are probably looking for me now anyway."

He huffed. "If it came to a fight, they would have much more to fear from me." Elizabeth did not answer, keeping her focus on the space ahead where they would enter the camp, when a sudden thought struck. "What did they do to you when you helped me?"

She remained silent, and after a beat Meliodas grabbed her elbow, his fingers wrapping around her upper arm. "Elizabeth. What did they do?"

"We need to find somewhere to hide," she answered quietly, pointedly avoiding his question. Meliodas growled to himself and looked around. A few yards away he spotted a large ash tree with thick and winding limbs, so without a word he lifted Elizabeth and sprinted forward. She clung tightly to his neck as he jumped, climbing easily up the branches until he settled them on a thick one near the center of the trunk, covered in a blanket of leaves. Elizabeth gasped as she caught her breath, holding on tightly to the tree as she balanced herself.

The forest settled into a heavy silence, and Meliodas kept his senses sharp, waiting to hear or see something that could be a threat. He glanced over and watched with a bit of amusement as Elizabeth tried to balance, holding onto a branch above tightly as she situated herself. Finally she sank down against the trunk, tucking her knees up and her legs partially dangling over the side. Without realizing it, Meliodas licked his lips, allowing himself to finally enjoy the sight of her flushed cheeks and her graceful body. Immediately the memory of their brief kiss rose to the surface of his mind, and he could feel his heart beating a little faster.

He wanted her so badly, so suddenly, it was becoming almost like a drug. _Get a damn grip_ , he thought to himself, but he could not stop just _looking_ at her. It was more than just wanting her, he decided: he needed her now. Now that he had returned to her, had seen her and held her again, he was not going to let Elizabeth get away. _Why_ or _how_ were not important questions any longer. It felt ridiculous and dishonorable and even a bit daunting to admit this to himself. And the most astonishing thing was that it did go beyond simple lust, as he had once surmised it only to be. He needed to protect her from harm. He needed to see her smiling. He needed to hear her kind words and her thanks.

It absolutely shook him, this understanding.

Now that he had admitted this to himself, Meliodas was focused on one task: keeping Elizabeth protected. Her face was turned away as her eyes searched the forest below them, but he was pleased to see she seemed to be breathing easier, calm and comfortable now despite the height.

He remembered that she had not answered his question from before, and he narrowed his eyes as he searched her face. Did they hurt her? Torture her? Rage flared hot and piercing inside of him, the feeling so familiar it was actually steadying. He thought of what _he_ would have done, if the roles were reversed, and one of his soldiers had stood in defiance to allow an enemy to escape. There would have been no mercy, no pleading, no negotiation. It would not have been quick, either; Meliodas would have taken great pleasure in making a point and deferring anyone else from having the same idea.

Elizabeth looked back over at him, and for a long moment they stared at one another. He imagined her eyes bright with pain, or filled with tears, or wide with fear. Meliodas vowed to himself to find the Holy Knights who had dared to threaten her and end their existence. The hot anger that burned across his skin felt good.

"You do like to sit in trees, don't you?" she said quietly.

Frowning, he shook himself and said, "What are you talking about?"

He was surprised to hear a soft chuckle. "Every time we meet, you seem to be in one."

Meliodas glanced away with a shrug. "It gives me a vantage point. I can see almost everything from a fair height."

Elizabeth's smile was warm as she shifted herself on the apex of the branch, tucking her legs underneath her. "I would have guessed because of _your_ height, actually," she teased. He snapped his head around to look at her, and to his astonishment, she winked at him, her hand flying up to stifle a giggle.

Her unexpected teasing caused an unfamiliar flash of heat on his face. Meliodas cleared his throat uncomfortably and crouched down, resting his arms on his knees and not looking the girl's way again.

They shared an amicable silence for a while, and Meliodas spent the time pressing his energy outward, assessing the camp, and the movements of the Holy Knights, and seeking any trace of Estarossa. The enemy was thankfully predictable, and many of the most powerful were clumped together in what he could only assume were strategic meetings. But he felt no traces of his brother, and that bothered him somewhat. For Estarossa to disappear without a trace was unexpected; he had no idea he could move so fast. If he could escape so quickly, there was no telling how quickly he could return.

And he _would_ return, Meliodas had no doubts about that. His mind was troubled by images of what Estarossa could do if he got his hands on Elizabeth, and he vowed to himself that that would never happen. But he was no fool; he knew that there was no chance now of distracting him from pursuing them, or trying to convince him to let it be. Estarossa had always been immensely proud, especially of their race, and the power of their family. Even though he knew his brother admired him greatly—and in any other given circumstance, would have followed his lead without question—this was too much of a betrayal.

"This is an ash tree, isn't it?" Elizabeth said, interrupting his thoughts. Meliodas glanced over at her with a shrug, and her hand glided gently over the bark. "An ash tree gives healing and protection. We call these the Goddess tree." Her face turned back to his with a small smile. "It's rather ironic for you to pick this one."

"It was the one that most suited our need," he answered lamely, unsure of what to say. He seemed to always be unsure when she spoke to him.

He swallowed as he watched her legs tilt to the side, leaning her head back against the trunk. "Perhaps if you ask, the Goddesses will protect you."

At this, Meliodas snorted. "I am not interested in any of those filthy Goddesses of yours," he sneered, turning away with a scowl.

"I'm an Apostle of the Goddesses," she said quietly. "Yet you are interested in me."

Meliodas gritted his teeth as he flexed his fists tightly. The last thing he needed was to be reminded of that. He hoped silently that ignoring her would work, but to his annoyance she went on, "Who was that who attacked us?"

The demon took a deep breath. "His name is Estarossa. He is a powerful demon, one of the Ten Commandments. He followed me here."

"The Ten Commandments?" she asked in a small voice. Meliodas felt a strange twist in his stomach. He knew he should be up front with her and reveal his own status in the demon clan, and the rest of his connection with Estarossa, but something held him back. Whether he was unwilling to delve into the truth, or whether he could not face it if she feared him, he did not know for certain. Perhaps it was both.

"Your friends will face them and more," he responded gravely. "Which is why we need to go as soon as possible."

"You seemed to manage well enough," offered Elizabeth, and Meliodas said to her harshly, "Against one, yes. But all of them?" The corner of his mouth drew up in a smirk. "As you so graciously reminded me, even I can't hope to face all of them."

"But you are powerful," she said. "More powerful than anyone I have ever seen." She cautiously moved forward, and he looked over at her warily as she searched his face. "Who are you, really?"

Meliodas stared back at her, trying to decide what to say. But as his eyes roamed her lovely face, he still could not bring himself to tell her the truth. "You wouldn't believe it if I told you," he finally answered.

She opened her mouth as if to ask another question, so he decided to cut her off. "What did they do to you when I left?" Meliodas asked.

Just as he had expected, Elizabeth drew back. "I can handle things here," she simply answered.

Meliodas huffed. "I can't understand how you want to save these people. They wanted to kill you. That general would have done it, if I hadn't stopped him." Elizabeth looked away, and he leaned forward with a threat in his voice. "We are wasting our time here. We need to get somewhere safe and far away from here before the demons—"

"If you are so opposed to them," Elizabeth said harshly, "then why are you still fighting for them?" His brows drew down as she went on, "There is _nowhere_ that will be safe from them. Once they take over Britannia, where do you expect to hide?"

Anger rolled through him. _No one_ spoke to him in such a way, and his first instinct was to lash out at her. Elizabeth gazed at him hotly, defiant, and the electricity between them seemed to crackle. She sucked in a breath, her teeth capturing her bottom lip; then all of a sudden the tense atmosphere was gone as she leaned forward and placed a tentative hand on his arm. "I'm sorry," she whispered. "I know this must be difficult for you, and all you want is to protect me." Then she tilted her face towards him and brushed her lips over his.

The feeling of her mouth was both a jolting spark and a soothing remedy for the fury that was boiling inside his veins. The kiss was chaste, and soft, but he could feel her heart pounding in her chest. Meliodas barely breathed as she pressed her lips on him, shocked at her boldness and feeling his mind instantly clear; but before he could grab her up in his arms, his senses alerted him that they were not alone.

"Elizabeth," he whispered tightly against her mouth. A torrent of curses went through his mind as he realized he had been too engrossed the girl to notice the Holy Knights getting closer to their location. Once more, she had distracted him to a fault. He grabbed her and jumped to the ground, hearing her cry out in surprise, but it was too late. When he pulled away from her and turned around, a troop of soldiers was surrounding their tree, led by none other than the cocky general who had threatened them before.

"It's that demon!" the general shouted. "Get him!" Meliodas could feel the sharp shift in the air as the others in the next instant called forth their powers, and he knew that in another moment, they would unleash their attacks. He could withstand them easily, but he feared for Elizabeth. He would not let them hurt her.

Meliodas had his sword drawn in a flash. "No!" Elizabeth shouted at them. To his surprise, the Holy Knights hesitated at the command in her voice. "The demon army is coming. They will be here in a matter of days." A shocked silence followed, and Elizabeth took the opportunity to quickly continue, "This demon returned to warn us. He is not an enemy. Don't do this! He'll throw away his sword!"

"Like hell I will," he growled beside her. Elizabeth grabbed at him, but Meliodas had had enough. His sword was held tightly in his hand, and as he peered around at the soldiers surrounding him, his words came out low and threatening. "We came to deliver you a warning. Now we are leaving. If you want to keep your heads, you will stay back and not interfere." He felt the mark on his forehead flare out, and he smiled as his chin dipped a bit, his eyes turning black as they focused on the general. "Make a move, and you are first."

"I'll have your head!" the general screamed, his face turning bright red.

Meliodas chuckled. "I'm going to enjoy killing you."

He heard Elizabeth shout again, but at that moment he did not care. As the general leapt forward, Meliodas thrust out, his sword flashing in a calculated strike. But instead of slicing him through, which was what the general had anticipated with his own weapon, Meliodas delivered a blow to his chest, followed by the thigh. He grinned at the sound of breaking bones and watched the Holy Knight crash to the ground.

Meliodas placed a foot on his chest. He pressed downwards, calculating how far he could go to hurt him without killing him just yet. The knight tried to rear up, and snapped a few ribs against the unmoving weight of the demon. Meliodas was amused to see in the peripheral of his vision that the other soldiers made no movement to assist, even as their general writhed on the ground, snarling like an animal in pain. _Fucking cowards_.

As he gazed down at the Holy Knight on the ground, Meliodas felt more like himself, more like the demon lord and commander he was. Dark thoughts began to surface in his mind, and he narrowed his eyes at the twitching general. "Did you hurt this girl?" he hissed at him, turning his foot a bit to twist into his skin. "When I left last time, did you hurt her?"

"She is—traitor—" he gasped, blood now seeping out of his mouth and down his chin.

The knight continued to choke, and Meliodas leaned down so he could speak in a low voice. "You are nothing but a speck of dirt to me. But this girl, whom you wanted to kill, has come here to deliver a warning for your pathetic lives."

"Lies," choked the general. Meliodas felt his demon mark flare across his brow, and flame slid down his arm to dance around the edges of his sword. He lifted his arm, too cold and filled with hate to even smile, to even take pleasure in the blow he prepared to give. He only thought of Elizabeth, scared and hurt by this _knight_ , who dared to call _her_ a traitor.

Then he was pushed backwards, his nostrils flaring as he breathed heavily, Elizabeth's hands pressing stubbornly on him. "Please. Stop."

Meliodas' eyes did not leave the knight on the ground, but he did pull his power back inside him. "We've given your damn warning," he growled at her. "Let's go."

"I need to see Lady Jenna!" she whispered fiercely. "You heard him, he thinks I'm a liar and a traitor."

The next moment happened in such a blur, that later, Meliodas could only remember flashes of images in his mind. Behind Elizabeth, the general moved, using what must have been the last of his strength to throw himself forward and thrust his sword straight at him, aiming for Meliodas' chest. He reached out to push Elizabeth out of the way; but she must have seen his expression change and guessed what was about to happen. She turned around, stepping out of his reach, and a sudden flash of light came from her, illuminating everything around them like a flare.

Meliodas raised an arm to shield his eyes on instinct. He heard the general scream, followed by a scream from Elizabeth, but to his relief when he opened his eyes he found her in tact, and safe, still next to him. Her arms were outstretched, and she stumbled back, Meliodas reaching out to steady her before she fell. He hissed her name sharply, and then caught sight of the Holy Knight on the ground. Half of his body had been burned away, reduced to nothing more than a skeleton, the sword still gripped in the general's hand, only the bone remaining.

.o0o.

Meliodas crouched in front of Golgius, who had collapsed through several floors of the building. He looked at him curiously. He still wondered what exactly Golgius wanted from them, and why he wanted the dragon hilt. It had to all be connected, but how?

"You're power is _Transparency_ , isn't it?" he said. Suddenly it all made perfect sense. The smell, the delay in reappearances, the way they had been able to outrun him in the first place. Meliodas raised his brows. "I knew you'd have to use the door."

The knight struggled to move, but he was still recovering from the devastating fall through the building. "Plus, if we're here," Meliodas said slowly, "then I don't have to worry about Elizabeth."

Golgius made a startled sound, but the Dragon Sin was ready. He swiped his hilt, pressing his powers forward, delivering a direct hit to the knight that he knew seared straight through his armor. The knight's body was flung outwards, crashing through the wall, and landed in the stone wall of a building clear on the other side of the street.

Meliodas stood with a deep breath of relief, slinging the dragon hilt over his shoulder as he hopped out through the rubble. He kept his senses up, on high alert, and was pleased to see that he had not hurt him too terribly. "Let's hear it," he said with a bit of a sigh as he approached the knight. "Why are you after Elizabeth and my sword, and who ordered you to do it?"

He waited for a long moment, just listening to the knight making a strangling sound from inside his armor. Meliodas kept a calm, uninterested expression on his face, but inside, he was seething. This knight, this _Holy Knight_ who was sworn to the kingdom had unleashed a flurry of attacks against an innocent girl, against the princess—against _Elizabeth_. The image of what could have happened to her if he had been a second behind, if he had not awoken from that deep sleep, danced through his mind. His demon side rolled a bit, waiting for an invitation to emerge again; but Meliodas kept it safely tucked away this time.

The need to keep Elizabeth safe was now completely undeniable. He had almost forgotten why they were even there to begin with: namely, finding Ban. Now his sole focus was on uncovering who wanted the princess so badly. If this feeling wasn't so familiar to Meliodas, he might have called himself a fool, or dismissed it even. But he had learned a long time ago that if he had an instinct to protect—even if it surprised him, even if it made no _damn sense_ —he needed to act on it. To do otherwise was impossible.

"Lord Meliodas!" Her voice came behind him, and without even thinking he turned. "I was worried about what happened to you!" His eyes darted over his shoulder to see that she was safe and unharmed as she ran towards him… but when he turned his attention back to the Holy Knight, he found Golgius was gone.

"Huh," he said to himself, a sigh escaping as he smothered a half smile. "He's gone." Elizabeth distracting him when facing an enemy? Yeah, that was familiar too.


	10. Chapter 10

Meliodas watched the empty horse run by with a sigh. "Must be heading to Baste Dungeon," he said. Hawk squealed at his feet, obviously angry that the Holy Knight managed to slip through their fingers _again_. "Well, let's go then!" he shouted.

He was about to tell Hawk to hush when he saw Elizabeth turn and take off, back towards the center of town. "Hey Elizabeth!" he shouted. "Where are you going?" Why was this girl always going the _opposite_ way of safety, the _opposite_ of where they _should_ be headed?

They hurried after her, finding Elizabeth kneeling over the wounded Dr. Dana. Meliodas pulled up short when he saw the tears falling from her eyes. _Not again_ , he thought, but then swallowed thickly when he saw the gentle way she cradled his head into her lap. "Dr. Dana!" she cried, her words coming out as choking sobs. "Please, pull yourself together!" Her shoulders shook as she bowed her head, and he watched as her tears dripped down, splashing onto the doctor's glasses.

Meliodas slipped a hand into his pocket, suddenly confused. He felt a bit like he was intruding, as silly as that sounded. Yet as he watched Elizabeth cry, his confusion gave way to a twisting feeling in his stomach. There was a burning that began to creep up the back of his neck, and he wondered why _her_ tears affected him so much. Every time she cried, it would shake him.

His gaze flickered to the doctor, who was beginning to open his eyes. It was _his_ fault that Elizabeth was crying, and in another lifetime, Meliodas would have delivered justice for that sin. It was the doctor who had poisoned Meliodas and tried to hand Elizabeth over to the Holy Knights. It was the doctor who had made a deal with their enemy and gotten himself stabbed. And yet, here she was, crying over him.

Meliodas took another step forward, wondering what he should do, when the doctor began to speak. "Why are you crying? Over me?" He tilted his head up and looked at Elizabeth, whose eyes were still shedding tears. "I just wanted to get my daughter back, and for that, I had to kill a young boy, who had nothing to do with this."

Meliodas pressed his lips together tightly, finally understanding why the doctor had sold them out. "I'm sorry… in the end, I couldn't even save her." The doctor's voice became faint, and his body sagged against Elizabeth's lap as he covered his own tearing eyes with a hand. "I reap what I sow… Cynette… I wish I could have protected you…"

Elizabeth reached out to take his hand, but the doctor's arm went limp. She gasped and looked at his face, her eyes trailing over his still features. It was suddenly so quiet, deadly quiet. Not even a bird or a breath of wind interrupted that moment, as Elizabeth wept silently over the doctor.

"I'm so sorry," she finally whispered. Meliodas sighed, moving around so he could help her up; but he froze when he heard her say, "This is all my fault."

.o0o.

Meliodas pulled Elizabeth through the enemy camp, slipping between the shadows as they made their way unnoticed between the tents and guards and knights that littered the area. He pressed her back behind a pile of firewood, waiting there silently until another group of soldiers moved together past their hiding spot. He could feel Elizabeth trembling slightly in his grip, and he gave her what he hoped was a reassuring squeeze with the hand at her waist. "Which way?" he whispered.

Weakly, she lifted a hand to point, and Meliodas nodded. He checked one more time to see if anyone was coming, and then steered her expertly within the shadows of the late evening towards the tent she had indicated. When they finally approached, he felt Elizabeth hesitate; but a firm hand on her back pressed her steadily forward.

This was ludicrous. A _demon_ was sneaking around the enemy camp with an _Apostle of the Goddesses_. Meliodas struggled to keep his temper locked up tightly, not wanting to alert anyone around them of their presence with a flash of his power… although, keeping his hand tightly pressed to Elizabeth seemed to be helping more than he cared to admit. The idea practically made his skin crawl. And not only would he be killed on sight—at least, they would try to anyway—but Elizabeth was now a fugitive, having taken out the leader of their Holy Knights.

After Elizabeth had killed the general, he had grabbed her and gotten out of there, hiding them both before the other Holy Knights decided to retaliate. Truthfully, he needed to recover just as much as she. The entire episode was a shock to him. He had thought he had seen the extent of her power at the river, and that was an impressive feat in itself. Who would have ever guessed that not only she had the ability to protect, but to destroy as well? If he had to be honest, Elizabeth looked just as shocked as the rest of them. Briefly he wondered if she even knew she had possessed such power; but why would it have manifested then, when he could have easily protected her?

 _Because she wanted to protect you_ , he thought, although that didn't make any sense either.

"Is this it?" he asked quietly as they stepped up to a large tent. Elizabeth nodded, not meeting his gaze, and he tightened the hand on her arm. "Hey," he said, tugging her a bit.

Elizabeth turned her face to him then, and he could see pain and fear on her face. It made his stomach turn, and he felt all at once angry at the general for putting her in the position where she felt she needed to strike, and at himself for being too slow to stop it. For the hundredth time, he wished they could just _go._ "We don't have to do this," he murmured. "We can just leave. They might not even listen to your warning."

She gazed back at him for a long moment, and then shook her head. "No, I have to do this. I have to…" Her voice trailed off as she looked back at the tent, and before he could ask her what she wanted to say, she was stepping inside, pulling him in with a tight grip of her hand in his.

All eyes in the room turned on them as they entered, and Meliodas immediately tensed. There were about a dozen of them there, all druids by the looks of it. The leader sat with several others around a table, their heads rising from their deep discussion at their intrusion. The air instantly crackled with hostility, and one or two actually gasped at the sight of them. But Elizabeth stepped forward, one hand still holding onto him. "Lady Jenna," she said, her voice tight with pain.

"Elizabeth?" The druid looked at them in shock, her eyes going back and forth between the two, before she finally hurried around the table, drawing up short when she was only a few feet away. "Elizabeth, what is going on?"

Meliodas could feel her trembling, so he squeezed her hand. Elizabeth drew in a deep breath and said, "The demon army is coming. They will be here in a matter of days."

The others began to murmur, and Jenna held up a hand for silence. "How do you know this?"

"He…" She glanced over her shoulder, her blue eyes meeting his green briefly. "He came back to warn me."

Jenna regarded them both through narrow eyes. "Is it true you killed a group of Holy Knights?"

Elizabeth sucked in a breath, but Meliodas spoke up first. "They attacked us. Attacked _her_. After she tried to deliver the same message." He dragged his eyes over the others who were all watching closely. "It was only the leader, and it was self-defense. She is innocent."

"What is your name, demon?" the druid suddenly asked.

He looked up at her and met her cool gaze with one of his own. This one was smart, smarter than all the rest, and by the look of her eyes, more powerful than the rest as well, except perhaps Elizabeth. A half smile pulled up the corner of his mouth as he decided to tell her the truth. "Meliodas," he answered.

" _Meliodas?"_ she echoed sharply.

There was a gasp somewhere in the room, and the rest fell deathly silent. Apparently his reputation had reached even this far into Britannia. Meliodas would have laughed at them all if he wasn't aware of the eyes that fell on Elizabeth at his side as well as on him.

He glanced to the side to see her reaction, and was surprised that there was none. She had already known his name, and the way her brows came together in confusion showed that she did not make the connection the others had. "I don't understand," she said to the leader. "What difference does that make? Who…?" Elizabeth turned and looked at him, her expression suddenly wary. "Who are you, exactly?"

Meliodas opened his mouth to speak, but was cut off by one of the druids. "You brought this demon _back_ here after saving his life, and you are telling us you had no idea who he was?" His voice was nearly shrill as he shouted, and then stepped forward furiously to face Jenna. "This girl is a threat to every single one of us! I don't care _what_ she is, she needs to answer for her crimes!"

"Try it," he said, taking a step forward, pulling his hand from Elizabeth's. Now that they knew who he was, there was no point in playing down his power any longer. "If I am reading your reactions correctly, then you know exactly what will happen to anyone who threatens my own."

"Your own?!" several echoed incredulously, even as the one who had the outburst whirled back to Jenna. "Do you hear him? Out of his own mouth! This girl is a traitor to our kind!"

"Peace," Jenna hissed at him. Her stare remained focused on the demon, and she slowly walked forward. Meliodas raised his chin, unwavering as he met her eyes with his own. But as she continued to stare at him he felt as though she could see something no one else could. He felt as though she was searching inside of him for his very soul, and for a moment he was certain she would have no trouble at all.

"I'm not afraid of you," she told him. "Even though I know you could kill me and every other person in this room, I see that you won't."

Meliodas huffed out a laugh. "Is that what you see?"

Jenna nodded. "There is something different about you, even from our last meeting." Her eyes flickered almost imperceptibly at Elizabeth. "What do you want?"

"To leave," he answered honestly.

To his surprise, the druid chuckled. "Don't we all. How do we know you won't just bring the demon army to our door?"

"The demon army will be at your door in seven days," he replied evenly. "Six if the wind blows the right way. That is not something I can change either way."

She swallowed thickly, finally giving him a slow nod. "If you stay and help us prepare, give us information on fighting this threat, then we will let you go without harm."

Meliodas' eyes narrowed. "You can't keep me here. I could go _whenever_ I wanted—"

"Yes, you could, but not without many casualties, and not without taking on great harm yourself, no matter how powerful you may be." Her calm expression turned hard, and he clenched his jaw at her audaciousness to interrupt _him_. "And," she continued coldly, "I suspect that that is not what you have intended."

"You don't know _anything_ about—"

"I can see you, demon!" she shouted at him, her tone ringing with authority. But the insult of being interrupted a second time was enough, and with a growl in his throat he stepped forward.

But a hand on his arm stopped him in his tracks, and he did not have to even look to see who it was who dared. After a beat he said, "I will give you information. Tomorrow, I will leave, and I am taking Elizabeth with me."

"No!" several of the druids gasped, a murmur rumbling among them, and he felt her fingers squeeze into his arm. From the corner of his eye he watched the one who had protested slide his eyes over to Elizabeth with a look of pure disgust. As if he dared to look at her, dared to even have a thought to judge her. _He won't be surviving this_ , Meliodas promised himself.

"Elizabeth can make her own decision," Jenna answered tightly. "We will not simply hand one of our own over to you because you command it."

"She is coming with me," he responded, and as he heard his own words, Meliodas tensed. For the first time, he felt a shiver of uncertainty, and he wondered if, in the end, she would come willingly with him.

Suddenly uneasy, he turned his face to look at her. Elizabeth's eyes were lowered to the ground, making it difficult to read her expression. However, he could tell that she was upset, and he was at a loss over what to do. If he _should_ do anything at all.

"That decision will come tomorrow, then," Lady Jenna said. "Meanwhile, you'll need somewhere to stay—"

"You can't _possibly_ be suggesting that we give a safe haven to these murderers!" a druid shouted.

Elizabeth gasped. The others all began arguing at once, Lady Jenna calling for quiet, and Meliodas had had enough. But before he could move, Elizabeth cried out, "He's right!" The room stilled, and Meliodas frowned as she clutched her hands together, her expression pleading and hurt as she looked at the druid leader. He hissed her name, but she continued, "Lady Jenna, I—I killed him! I don't deserve—I mean, aren't you going to—"

"That's enough, Elizabeth," Jenna said, her tone harsh. The girl stiffened instantly, her mouth closing tightly. She looked at Meliodas and said, "Bring her."

Meliodas nodded and placed a hesitant hand on the girl's back. "Elizabeth?" he murmured. "We need to go."

She looked over at him, her chest shaking as she tried to draw breath. Meliodas swallowed thickly as he saw the tears that shone on her lashes, but he used every ounce of his strength to hold himself together. "Let's go," he urged again.

Thankfully, she allowed him to press her forward, and with a murderous glance at the druids who had objected, swept her from the tent.

They followed behind Lady Jenna as she led them silently around the druid part of the camp. He could hear whispers around them, but no one dared approach as they followed their leader. They arrived at a small tent at the very edge of the camp, and Lady Jenna stopped at the opening. "Stay here," she said to him, not bothering to look at Elizabeth. "If you step one foot out of this tent, I can't guarantee your safety. Or hers." Meliodas grit his teeth, about to say something biting back, but Jenna held up a hand. "She is still valuable, which will buy you time. If your information proves useful, you may both leave with your lives. But know you will be watched. There will be guards out here to make sure you don't leave."

With a final glance at Elizabeth she stalked off. Meliodas pressed the girl to go inside, sweeping his eyes around the outside of the tent. He spotted where Jenna had stopped to give orders, and he moved inside before she caught sight of him.

Cursing, he pulled the flap shut behind him, nearly pulling the entire thing down with his rage. How _dare_ those druids judge Elizabeth. They had no idea what was going on, what they were facing. Why did he make this pact with them? There was no sense in upholding it if they were to be nothing but prisoners in the camp. He vowed to take her and leave, immediately. They would leave these ungrateful pigs to their own fate.

Now that the decision was made he turned around. "Come, Elizabeth, we're going," he said. There was only one lamp, hanging from the tentpole, and it cast a soft glow inside. He spotted Elizabeth sitting on a crude mattress, the only thing in the tent. Her elbows were pressed to her knees, and she was bent forward, her hands covering her face. Suddenly the room felt hot, and the uncomfortable panic from earlier returned, twisting inside of him.

Meliodas stood there for a minute, just watching her cry. He was angry, very angry, at the others; but he also recognized that he had not handled things well either. Actually, he had done what he always did: made demands, followed his instincts, and cut down anyone who dared to step in his way. But that wasn't Elizabeth. It wasn't how she handled things, and it wasn't how he wanted to be around _her_.

He thought about their conversation earlier, when they had sat in the tree. It had been companionable and easy, even when he was uncomfortable, even when she had teased him. And even when they _disagreed_ , he found he could not look away from her or leave her. She needed his protection, and he had promised to give it. Meliodas would use his sword and his power and whatever it took to keep her safe.

Now, it seemed as she needed something else entirely; something he wasn't even sure how to give.

Slowly he approached her. His mind turned over the ways she had calmed him: a hand on his arm when he first faced the general, her voice stopping him as he prepared to attack at the river, her body pressed against his back when he threatened Estarossa. Meliodas decided to try something similar. Carefully, cautiously, he sat down next to Elizabeth, and he reached out a hand for hers, hoping that she would not pull away, while praying that she would.

Instead, she surprised him again. Suddenly he found his arms filled with the druid girl, as Elizabeth launched herself at him. Her arms went around his shoulders and her face pressed against his neck as a fresh wave of sobs began to roll through her. Meliodas pressed his hands on her back, squeezing her gently, and to his relief she shifted again until her body was curled against his hip. For several minutes he held her as she cried, frozen and unsure.

Finally her sobs gave way to soft cries, and she struggled to calm her breathing. "Meliodas," she whimpered against his shirt. The sound of his name, so sad this time, felt like a knife in his stomach. "I'm so sorry. I've made a mess of everything. And now—now we are trapped here."

"It'll be all right," he murmured, taking the opportunity to press his lips against the top of her head, her hair soft against his cheek.

"You wanted to leave," she moaned, not acknowledging his words. "I made you stay. You could have been gone—"

Meliodas huffed. "I was not about to leave you behind."

"And then—and then I—I _killed_ him!" Her voice rose in horror. "How could I have done that? How could I—"

"What are you talking about?" He had tried to keep his voice soothing, but he could not help the harshness that seeped into his words as he interrupted her. "That bastard would have killed you. He tried to already. He wanted to kill us both."

"It's my fault," Elizabeth whispered. "If I had only listened to you—if I had just tried to, tried to talk to him, then maybe—"

Her words cut off as her sobbing resumed, and he felt her hands curling into his shirt, clutching him tightly. Meliodas looked around, wondering what to do, wishing that someone would appear and help him with this sobbing mess of a girl. He had heard plenty of people cry out in his day, seen many prisoners sob and wail in pain, but this was the first time in his many centuries that one had ever, ever affected him. Meliodas had never needed comforting, and no one had ever sought it from him before. He was suddenly extremely aware of how ill-equipped he was at this moment, and that agitated him greatly.

"It wasn't your fault," he said sharply, causing Elizabeth to suck in a breath. "You were acting to protect these people, putting your life at risk. Then you acted to save me." The demon drew a breath before continuing, "You were protecting me, and my bad choices. I should have gotten you out of there long before those Holy Knights knew where we were." His hands tightened around her. "I promised to keep you safe, and I did not."

"Meliodas," she whispered, sitting up to look him in the face. He could not stop himself from raising a hand to cup her cheek, smoothing away the tears that still streamed down her face. "You can't take the blame for this. I won't let you."

Meliodas frowned as he searched her face. Could she really be this selfless? Was this a trick of some kind? But there was no way she could be faking her sorrow, and her eyes did not give away any lie.

"You need to sleep," he finally said. "We are leaving as soon as possible tomorrow, and we'll have a long journey ahead."

Elizabeth nodded, wiping her eyes with the back of her hand, a simple gesture that somehow made him smile. She slid backwards, pulling the thin blanket down to slip under, and Meliodas went to stand. But as he moved off of the bed she reached out and caught his hand. "Where are you going?" she whispered.

Meliodas turned and frowned down at her. "You need to sleep. I'm giving you some space."

"No," she said quickly, and he noted how her cheeks flushed a soft pink. "Please, I…" Elizabeth chewed on her lip for a moment, and then turned her eyes up at him, peeking through the bangs that swept across her face. "Please don't leave."

And how exactly was he supposed to say no to that? Inside his head, Meliodas growled to himself; but somehow the demon prince and captain of the Ten Commandments found himself climbing onto an uncomfortable mattress with a druid girl curling up against him. Elizabeth rested her head on his shoulder, her arm lightly pressed on his arm, while Meliodas stared up at the ceiling.

After a short while he sensed as Elizabeth's breathing slowed down, her body sinking against his as she fell asleep. He waved his free hand and snuffed out the light from the lamp, preferring to lay in the dark with his thoughts. Meliodas still could not understand why he felt so strongly for this girl, why the drive to protect her was so strong, why her smiles and her tears affected him like nothing else in his entire life. He decided then and there that the _why_ no longer mattered. Only Elizabeth did.

.o0o.

"What are you talking about?" Meliodas snapped, unable to hide his annoyance. "Golgius killed the doctor, not you."

"But if I hadn't come here, then he wouldn't have taken his daughter, right?"

Elizabeth did not look up at him, but he stared down at her in shock, unable to speak. How could she have this so wrong? "Elizabeth, don't blame yourself!" Hawk insisted.

"If I hadn't found Sir Meliodas, then he wouldn't have fought Gilthunder, and gotten so wounded!" she wailed. Fresh tears began to fall, and Elizabeth buried her face in her hands. "He wouldn't have been almost killed by Golgius!"

"That's true," Hawk interjected. "I wouldn't have been almost skewered—"

Meliodas smashed his fist into the pig to cut him off. "I understand why you would say that," he said slowly. "But I thought you were stronger than this. Are you so ready to give up, just over a tear or two?"

Elizabeth's face turned sharply up, her watery eyes locking with his. "I promised you I would help you find the Sins and stop the Holy Knights," he said firmly. Then he leaned forward, staring directly into her eyes, until they were only inches apart. "Even if you were to die," he continued, his voice quiet, "I would fulfill that promise."

The moment hung in the air as they simply looked at one another. One final tear slid down her cheek, and Meliodas stood back up, sure now that she understood just how dedicated he was becoming. He turned away, thinking of another girl, in another time, who had looked at him the same way, who had cried over a death that should not have been. And then, another image came suddenly and unexpectedly, another whispered promise as he stood in the rain. Quickly he pushed that one away; there was enough loss for one day.

"All people eventually die," he said around the lump in his throat. "As long as someone protects what they stood for, though, their principles never die. No matter how many tears you shed, no matter how much blood, once you take them on, you follow through with it."

He thought about the Holy Knights he had faced so far, their arrogance and their disregard for the innocent. But instead of making him angry, it only made him somber. " _That's_ what a knight really is," he finished, his voice harsh as he turned away.


	11. Chapter 11

Meliodas closed the door to the room where Dr. Dana lay, barely clinging to life. Elizabeth was sitting inside by the bed, watching him earnestly for any signs of recovery, or of worsening. He wondered if she looked that way when she sat at his bedside the day before. He had to admit, it felt good to have someone care that much about him again.

Leaning against the door, he sighed heavily. This entire situation had slipped well beyond his control, and he _hated_ that. He had never in his wildest dreams expected to pick up Princess Elizabeth in his wanderings around Britannia; never had expected the Holy Knights to veer so far from their purpose of serving and protecting the kingdom. Now they were after him, the princess, and his sword; the three had to be connected, and he dreaded to learn how.

 _It's best to just go_ , he decided. He would leave Elizabeth here to look after the doctor. The town seemed relatively safe, especially when he compared it to Baste, where the Holy Knights were based. Taking Elizabeth directly into harm's path was something Meliodas definitely did _not_ intend to do.

"Where's Elizabeth?" Hawk demanded as he descended the steps to the first floor. "Is she coming or what?"

"She's taking care of the doctor," Meliodas answered. "Come on, let's slip away while we can." He headed out the door with the boar fast on his heels, his mind still occupied by Elizabeth.

.o0o.

All at once, Meliodas was awake. He stared at the ceiling of his tent, wondering how he had gotten there. Moving to sit, he felt a weight on his body, and looked down. Silver hair came into his vision, and suddenly the past twenty-four hours came roaring back: the orders to destroy Elizabeth's camp, his flight from his own army, the fight with Estarossa. And then Elizabeth, her soft lips on his, her soothing hands on him, the hurt look on her face when she spoke of the Holy Knights, her smile as she teased him. Her power exploding out to kill the general. Her tears as he held her tightly.

Memories crashed on top of him, and he shook the lingering sleep away. His plan had been to go, and instead he had stayed here all night? He felt disoriented for a moment as the reality of his situation fell into place, as well as the knowledge that once again, he had ignored his instincts.

Elizabeth was still fast asleep, as far as he could tell. He cursed himself silently for falling asleep as well; what was he thinking? They were in a camp full of people who were determined to kill them. He knew the girl would be too exhausted to keep watch for them, and that it would be up to him to keep them safe. But now that he thought about the previous day's events, he supposed it made sense that he would have needed rest.

Some time in the night she had completely wrapped herself up around him. Elizabeth's head was heavy against his chest, her arm wrapped around his waist, her hand on his hip. One of her legs covered one of his, and Meliodas had his own arm around her, pressed against her back.

He couldn't remember ever waking up this way before. He was a demon who took what he wanted, including women; he did not sleep with one curled around him in comfort.

Yet Meliodas was loath to disturb her, so he took the opportunity to simply rest and enjoy the peace of the moment—another first. He slid his hand up her back until his fingers slipped into her hair. He knew already it was silky to the touch; but now that he could take his time, he realized just how thick it was, how beautiful. He found just the simple act of combing his fingers through her hair enthralling.

Her arms were thin, but as he ran his other hand along the length of the one draped over his stomach, he could feel the muscle beneath her smooth skin. Elizabeth did not move or make a sound, so he risked moving his hand lower, sliding along her side. Her waist was tiny before flaring out to curvy hips, just what he liked. His hand smoothed over the shape of her hip and skimmed over her backside. Meliodas could feel his heartbeat pick up instantly, and before he knew it his hand was trailing along the underside of her thigh.

As his hand trailed its path along Elizabeth, his own body awoke, his desire beginning to kindle. Meliodas swallowed, willing himself to stay in check even as he could not help but wrap his fingers around her slim leg. His hand slid back up, trailing towards her center. He grit his teeth and used every ounce of his willpower to still his hand, digging his fingers into the soft flesh of her thigh. Elizabeth stirred against him, and Meliodas puffed out a harsh breath.

He thumped his head back into the lump of a pillow and listened to his blood pulsing inside his head. Saying that he wanted her was a gross understatement; the desire to touch and taste every inch of her suddenly, violently thrummed through him. But he could not do this. _Would not_ do this to Elizabeth. Her innocence and beauty called out to his own dark nature, and he wanted to take it for his own, to consume her completely. It would be so easy to roll on top of her now, to pin her down and take what he wanted. It would make no difference if she fought him, but something told him that she would not, in the end; he could see it now, her mouth open as she moaned, her body angled against his, her skin hot and flushed as he used his mouth and hands on her…

Meliodas ignored his instinct and his need, quickly snatching his hand away from her leg as she shifted against him. Her body pressed against his side, and he groaned inwardly as her chest flattened on him and her thighs squeezed against his. Her knee brushed between his own legs, and he grunted as he froze. Then Elizabeth gave a deep sigh and lifted her head. She blinked in surprise down at him, her eyes sleepy and her hair a bit mussed, and Meliodas could not help his own chuckle. He smoothed a hand across her cheek, brushing her hair from her face, and Elizabeth's eyes softened as she smiled down at him.

"You stayed," she whispered, and he nodded even as he swallowed around the sudden lump in his throat. Then she blushed a soft pink and shifted away from him, sitting up in the bed. "Thank you." Her tone was a bit bashful, which surprised him; after all, they had just spent the night wrapped around one another.

Meliodas slid to a sitting position, looking her up and down. "Do you feel better?" he asked, feeling a sense of embarrassment sweeping up his spine. If only his brothers could hear him now.

But Elizabeth simply bit her lower lip, her eyes turning away. "A bit. But what happened yesterday… I'm afraid," she confessed softly.

He frowned, leaning forward to place his hand reassuringly on her knee. "You have _nothing_ to fear as long as you are beside me," he promised her.

"That's not what I meant." Elizabeth took a shaky breath. "You aren't scared of me? Knowing what I am—what I can do?"

"What?" Meliodas shook his head. "How could I be scared of you?"

"I _killed_ someone," she whispered. Elizabeth closed her eyes tightly. "I could hurt you too."

Meliodas watched the pain in her features with a jumble of confusion and amusement. "Elizabeth, you aren't a killer. I would know."

She looked at him then, her expression unreadable and guarded. "Why won't you tell me the truth of who you are?" He started to stammer out an excuse but she shook her head. "Please, don't lie to me," she said fiercely. "I saw the reactions from the others when you told them your name. I know you are more than just a soldier."

Her eyes were pleading, and Meliodas was suddenly more anxious than he could ever remember being in his entire life. She deserved the truth. She trusted him and he should return that trust. But why couldn't he just be honest? "I've done my share of killing," he finally admitted.

The disappointment on her face felt like a punch in his stomach. "I understand," she murmured.

"Elizabeth," he said suddenly, harsher than he intended. He reached out for her, sliding a hand into her hair again. "I will tell you everything. I promise. I just need to make sure we are safe first. I need you to be safe. Do you understand?"

Slowly she nodded. "I feel the same way," she admitted. "If something happened to you—" Her eyes went wide as she realized what she had said, and her cheeks flared in embarrassment.

The corner of his mouth went up in a sly half-smile. "See? You aren't a killer. You acted to protect me." He shrugged and went on, "It doesn't matter anyway. He's just one soldier in a war. Plenty more die every day."

Meliodas thought to reassure her, but Elizabeth gave him a shocked look that made him shrink back a bit. "I took his life away. His family will never see him again. It matters to them."

"He tried to do the same to you!" Meliodas exclaimed.

"I don't care _why_. I still killed him."

He twisted his mouth into a thin line, frustrated by her irritation with him. "Do you think he would be sitting and crying over _you_ if he had killed you?"

"It doesn't matter!" she hissed at him. "Why can't you understand that? _I didn't want to kill him_."

This time when she moved away, Meliodas allowed it. He sat on the bed staring at the floor, her words turning over in his head. No, he didn't understand. He had wanted to kill the general himself, wanted to see his blood flowing in a river from his body, wanted to see the realization in his eyes that he was going to die. He felt that way about the other Holy Knights who had hurt her. He felt that way about the druid that had looked at Elizabeth with disgust as she pleaded for their understanding. He felt that way with his own brother, who had threatened her.

Meliodas understood wanting to kill. Wanting to kill had made him strong; it had made him the vicious and callous tool that he was. It had allowed him to carry out countless orders and spur on the violence of those in his command. It was a familiar feeling that had accompanied him for more years than he cared to count. But now, with Elizabeth, he wanted to feel… something else.

"Elizabeth!" He quickly pushed up and off the bed to stand. The druid girl was a few feet away, and turned to look back at him. But he found himself unable to speak, even as she raised an eyebrow at him.

How could he begin to explain? How could he begin to tell her who he was, and who he wanted to become now? Meliodas took a step forward, but before he could say anything the tent flap opened and a druid stepped inside, interrupting them. "Lady Jenna wants to see you," the woman said curtly.

Meliodas tensed, ready to lash out at the intrusion, but Elizabeth moved immediately towards the exit, so he had no choice but to follow.

They were led back to the large tent at the center of the druid camp, and Jenna was waiting for them when they arrived. "I must say, I'm surprised you are still here," she said as way of greeting. "I half expected you to be gone."

Meliodas glanced at Elizabeth. She made no indication of speaking, so he said, "The thought crossed my mind."

The druid huffed a laugh and folded her arms. "You'll be pleased to know the Holy Knights who attacked you returned to the camp." Meliodas could feel Elizabeth tense beside him and he narrowed his eyes. "They confirmed your story, that Elizabeth delivered a warning before the general attacked." Jenna's eyes slid from Elizabeth to Meliodas, and back. "Elizabeth will not face any charges for killing him."

"How gracious of you," answered Meliodas angrily. "As if you could have doubted Elizabeth's word on the matter."

Lady Jenna gave him a withering look. "All the same, while you are in this camp you will refrain from situations which would force Elizabeth to use her power again." He bristled, but she dismissed the tension coming from him as she turned her attention back to the druid girl. "Elizabeth, do you really intend to leave with this demon?"

The hairs on the back of his neck stood on end as he turned to see her reaction. He watched as Elizabeth struggled to keep her expression even, and then her gaze turned to him. They locked eyes for a long moment, and he tried to read her emotions, finding it impossible. But to his relief, she nodded. "I do."

Lady Jenna sighed, walking towards her. Meliodas went to step in between them, but Elizabeth moved too, and a moment later she and the druid leader clasped hands. "I wish you would stay," she said. "But I know I can't stop you, so I won't try."

"I'm sorry," Elizabeth said. She smiled at her warmly as her eyes flickered up to Meliodas. "I just feel… I need to go with him. I'm meant to do this."

Jenna nodded, squeezing Elizabeth's hands in hers. But Meliodas could not help but gape at them, hearing Elizabeth's words. _She's coming with me._

"Before you go," Jenna said to her, "I need you to help the others, and debrief them, help them to prepare for the battle. Can you do that?"

Elizabeth nodded, her smile fading as her expression became determined. Then Jenna looked over at Meliodas. "You'll stay here and fulfill your part of the deal."

Meliodas frowned. "I don't want Elizabeth going anywhere on her own."

"I'll be fine," Elizabeth said reassuringly. Before he could protest further, she was gone, and Jenna turned to him. He expected her to try to order him, and he squared his shoulders in preparation; instead, she surprised him by saying, "You don't need to worry about her here. No one would harm an Apostle of the Goddesses." She chuckled as Meliodas raised an eyebrow at her. "The general, yes. He was an exception."

"If anyone tries to hurt her," Meliodas said evenly, "I won't hesitate to kill them."

Jenna nodded, considering him for a long moment. "You are in love with her, aren't you?"

He sucked in a breath, his skin suddenly burning. The druid smirked. "I can see my answer in your reaction. I don't know how this happened. The demon prince in love with the Apostle."

"I'm not in love with her," he growled.

"If you say so," she answered with a shrug, her nonchalance grating heavily on his nerves. "Now come, you have a lot to tell us about what to expect from this battle." With a wave as if to keep the conversation from continuing, she turned back to the table, and Meliodas followed, forcing his racing thoughts to quiet.

.o0o.

It was hours later, at sundown, when Meliodas saw Elizabeth again. He had spent the entire day with the druids and the Holy Knights, explaining the positions and strategies of the demon army, describing their numbers and abilities. There was a collective gasp when he informed them that the Ten Commandments traveled with them, and their terror gave him a secret satisfaction. He knew that most of them knew who he was, but he ignored their stares. Jenna had him go over their plans for attack and possible routes to infiltrate the camp while the Holy Knights asked details on their formations. They went over maps and lists, and finally Meliodas inspected their own defenses, giving suggestions on improvements.

By the time he returned to his own tent, Meliodas felt nothing but revulsion. He had just given over the secrets of his own army, his own clan, some of which not even all of his own soldiers knew. In all truthfulness, he wasn't even sure if it would be enough to save the humans. He begrudgingly admired their determination to fight back against this attack, but deep down he thought they should just run. Now that they were armed with his information, they seemed more confident; all except Jenna, who had spoken to him quietly when the meetings finally came to an end.

"What are our chances?" she had asked him, and Meliodas had looked her in the eye and said, "It could be either way."

She nodded, looking unsurprised. "I would expect nothing less. Five more days?" He nodded, and she let go a deep breath. Jenna looked at him closely; she tilted her head to the side and said, "The advantage would surely swing towards us if you stayed and fought with us."

"Absolutely not." His nerves were worn from the hours of explanations, and his voice betrayed his irritation. "I've committed treason here today. All I want now is to take Elizabeth and go. Do not try to stop me."

"I gave you my word," she replied with a sigh. "To be honest, as much as it pains me to let you go, I know you will keep her safe." Jenna reached out and gripped his arm unexpectedly and said fiercely, "She is important. You _must_ keep her safe."

Meliodas nodded and pulled his arm away. Without another word he left, walking quickly through the camp. The need to see Elizabeth filled him suddenly. He wanted to know she was all right, to speak to her and hold her and have her by his side. Hurriedly, he passed others who moved out of his way, and as he thought of her in the tent waiting for him, Jenna's words came to the front of his mind.

 _You are in love with her, aren't you?_

He pushed open the flap of the tent, sighing in relief that she was there. Elizabeth looked up from her place on the bed, where she was eating from a bowl of food. "Meliodas!" she exclaimed, her smile bright as he stepped inside. The sound of his name caused a shiver to go through him, the relief at seeing her at war with the sickness from his betrayal. She held out a hand and gestured for him to join her. "Come sit. You look tired," she said.

Meliodas immediately walked over to the bed, climbing in to sit beside her. _You are in love with her, aren't you?_ The question rattled around in his head as she told him about the work she had done during the day. "I have two packs for us, with supplies," she was explaining as he watched her, barely listening. "I didn't know exactly what you would want to eat, so I packed a bit of everything."

She continued talking, but his eyes fixated on her mouth, the way her hands moved as she spoke. They were leaving soon, but he could not focus. What was he doing? What was she saying? His brows went down as his chest constricted in worry. _You are in love with her, aren't you?_

"Meliodas?" His eyes snapped back to hers, which were full of concern. "Do you need to rest a bit? It's almost completely dark, we can wait to go when you think it's best."

He opened his mouth to agree, but nothing came out. Elizabeth gave him a small smile, and incredibly, she reached up and swept her fingers in his hair. _You are in love with her, aren't you?_

"I'm the son of the demon king," Meliodas said. Her hand stilled as his words came out in a rush. "I'm the captain of the Ten Commandments, and a general in the demon army. One of the highest ranked, in fact. I have thousands of demons in my command." To his mortification, his voice began to shake as he spoke. "That demon I fought yesterday was my brother. He saw you and he knows about you and he will never, ever stop coming after us. Not until I kill him, anyway. I've killed thousands of your—"

"Shhh," she breathed. Meliodas choked on his words as she shushed him, shaking himself as her fingers continued to caress his scalp. _You are in love with her, aren't you?_ "Didn't you hear me?" he said, his voice rising in anger. "Do you not understand who I am?"

"Is this what you've been worrying about?" Her voice was so calm, so sweet, that he just stared at her in disbelief. Elizabeth slid closer to him, one hand pressing tentatively on his chest, the other tucking back a lock of his hair. "I already knew you were a demon. I knew what that meant. I knew you have been fighting—we've all been fighting." Her hand slid down his face to cup his cheek. "Nothing you have done matters. All that matters is who you are now."

 _You are in love with her, aren't you?_ He tried to speak but she went on, "You saved my life. You protected me and defended my honor. You kept me safe against an enemy and betrayed your own kind for my sake." Her smile pierced through the thick agitation that had settled over him. "I know exactly who you are, Meliodas."

Her words left him utterly stunned. Trepidation laid like a blanket on his mind, as everything pressed in at once. _General, protector, prince, savior, demon_ … He was at once doubtful and sure, restless and calm. _You are in love with her, aren't you?_

"Elizabeth," he whispered, his hands sliding up her arms, feeling her shiver at his touch. When they reached her back, he pulled her forward. He pressed her body against his, taking a sharp breath as he felt just how perfect she was in his hands. The hand on his chest pushed against him firmly, while the other curled in his hair; then she tilted her face as his dipped down, sealing them into a kiss.

They lingered there for just a moment, their lips pressed together tightly; then Elizabeth moved, her arms wrapping around his neck as she slid into his lap. Meliodas was caught by surprise by her bold move, but eagerly grabbed her by the hips to settle her against him. His hands roamed her body as she kissed him deeply, and all of his anxieties evaporated.

Soon she was moving against him, her hands sliding inside of his shirt. Meliodas followed her lead, pulling off her clothing as the need to feel them skin to skin flared brightly. There was no teasing or shyness between them, only a sharp sense of urgency as their hands slipped over one another, both demanding and curious. Once their clothes were shed, the excitement burned suddenly hot, and Meliodas felt almost feverish with his desire for her.

He had expected Elizabeth to be coy, or hesitant, or timid with him; instead her hands roamed his muscles lustfully, her mouth hungry as she kissed his lips and neck and shoulders. Meliodas' doubts were replaced with a voracious desire, his body responding in kind as her own covered his when she straddled his lap. He tasted her skin, kissing and biting her, and the demon inside of him thrashed as he grabbed her body roughly. She groaned into his mouth, her hair falling down around them, her breasts pressed against his chest, her sex grinding against him, and Meliodas was completely overwhelmed by the touch and feel of her, the sounds that escaped her, the impassioned heat that burned from her.

Then Elizabeth knelt up, her arms tight around his shoulders, before sinking her body down over his, their eyes locked together. Meliodas dug his fingers into her hips, leaving marks he was sure, but uncaring as his body was finally wrapped in her tight, wet heat. He watched through the haze of his own desire as her head dropped back; then she was moving, bracing her weight with her tight hold on him as she moved her hips up and down. He thrust upwards to match her in a punishing rhythm, his demon side flaring suddenly with her erotic moves. Their joining was raw and fast, her body perfect, the way she tilted herself around him beyond seductive.

Her fingers pulled tightly on his hair as she cried out his name. Then Meliodas watched as she came undone, his own release exploding as Elizabeth shook in his arms. Her body squeezed around his almost in a stranglehold, and the pleasure that rippled through him in this moment absolutely shattered him. Then it was over, Elizabeth still trembling against him, her body limp as she pressed her burning face into his neck.

The tent was now covered in darkness, and he was glad that she could not see his own expression, which he was sure was as vulnerable as he felt. He wrapped his arms around her tightly, cradling her hard against him as he turned his lips to her forehead.

"Elizabeth," he breathed, panting as he caught his breath, and she lifted her head, her nose brushing along his. _You are in love with her, aren't you?_ He felt her shaking breath against his cheek, could practically hear her heart thudding just as hard as his own, and he turned his face to capture her mouth with his.

This time, however, it was slow, and passionate, her mouth yielding and soft. Meliodas felt her shift from his lap, his body slipping from hers; but he held her just as tightly, tipping her backwards to press her into the bed. Leisurely he kissed her, his hands gentle this time as he touched her. Now that they had satisfied their frenzied lust, he took his time, exploring her body with his hands before moving his mouth down to taste her soft flesh, the sweet and saltiness of her skin. He kissed every inch of her, testing where to tease, where she wanted a firm touch.

Elizabeth sighed as he pleasured her, her own boldness gone, now simply pliant under his caresses. But the sounds of her soft moans and the easy way she moved under him stirred his blood even more than her frantic excitement; by the time he leaned over her again, Meliodas could feel his desire for her just as intensely as before. Elizabeth reached her hands out, grazing his skin with her fingertips; and this time, _this time_ , when she spread her thighs open, he slowly sank into her with a deep shudder of devastating bliss.

 _You are in love with her, aren't you?_

This time he moved slowly, watching her, savoring her. This time his own inner demon stayed quiet, allowing him to enjoy the way she shivered at his touch and rocked her hips with his. This time, instead of her lustful calls, she moaned softly into his ear, murmured against his lips. He drove them slowly, steadily, towards a wholly different ending that was deeper and more passionate. This time, as her body clenched around him, he knew everything had changed.

.o0o.

Hawk was unusually quiet as they walked, for which Meliodas was grateful. It allowed him to think about what their next move was, and how he could get Ban out of prison with the least amount of trouble.

That's what he should have been thinking about, anyway; instead, Elizabeth filled his mind. There was absolutely no denying the familiarity of her now. It went beyond her name and her smile and the inarguable need he had to protect her. There was also her determination and her sweet nature. The way she cared so deeply about others, even those that hurt her. The way she seemed to constantly throw herself directly into danger to protect others.

Meliodas snorted at that. _He_ was the most dangerous thing out here, not that she would know it.

He wondered what she would think of him if she knew everything. If he sat her down and told her the truth about who he was, and what he had done, and why the Seven Deadly Sins had been forced into hiding. If he confessed all of his sins to her.

Well, that was something he did _not_ intend to do. Confessing everything to her? That was a sure way to send her running straight in the other direction. Meliodas sighed, shaking his head. Best to evade her questions, and keep her focused on their quest. He would keep her safe and help her deliver the kingdom _without_ telling her everything.

He told himself that, but deep down, there was another reason too: if she did reject him for what he had done, he might not ever recover.


	12. Chapter 12

"Lord Meliodas!"

The Dragon Sin paused mid-step and looked back over his shoulder. He wasn't surprised to see the princess running towards them; in fact, he was surprised by how not-surprised he felt.

He watched with a half-smile as she hurried towards them, taking in the sight of the beautiful princess jogging down the road with a great deal of appreciation. Next to him, Hawk was shouting. "You called me stupid twice! You know, people who call other people stupid are really the ones that are stupid!"

"Sorry, you pig bastard," he said dismissively, pushing him aside as Hawk continued to sputter, and took a couple of steps back the way they came. He put his hands in his pockets and grinned as Elizabeth finally caught up to them.

"Here!" she exclaimed, and then immediately bent over at the waist, gasping for air.

"Are… you okay?" he asked, laughing. Her arm lifted shakily, and his eyebrows shot up in surprise to see the pack he used to carry the dragon hilt sword in her hand. "I—I fixed it—for you," she panted.

He was beyond surprised as he took the sheath from her. Meliodas ran his hand over the fabric as she beamed, "I fixed it for you while you were sleeping. It's not very good, but—"

"Thanks, Elizabeth," he said, still a bit amazed. As he slung it over his shoulders, Hawk piped, "What a good girl!"

"All right!" she exclaimed. "Let's go!"

Meliodas whipped his head around to look at her. She grinned at him, and then her cheeks flushed a delicate pink hue, her hands fidgeting behind her back. "I know—I know I'm not a knight," she began shyly. Then she looked up at him, her eyes bright and her smile wide, and said, "But I will keep fighting for the kingdom. Even if you were to die right now, I would still continue to fight."

His eyes went wide, and his mouth hung slightly open in awe. This moment, she looked incredibly strong, and brave, and no longer seemed the silly and delicate creature that seemed to always fall headfirst into trouble. This Elizabeth… _This Elizabeth, entire armies would fight for_ , he thought.

.o0o.

For the second morning in a row, and only the second time in his life, Meliodas awoke with a woman curled around him. He was instantly aware of the warm skin pressed against his, and he could not help but smile to himself. Their encounter the night before had been nothing he had ever experienced and everything he didn't know he wanted. His mind wandered over the conflicting emotions from the past two days. He was unused to so much doubt in his life, and it had all seemed to culminate with her kiss. Again.

Yet that wasn't right either. Elizabeth didn't create this new chaos inside of him; she soothed it. His wildly fluctuating focus between his role as demon general and her protector, his life as a soldier and a killer opposing this new need to be a savior, _her_ savior, came into clear and sharp focus when she was next to him. That was evident now with his confession the night before, with the way he had given pleasure instead of taking. Elizabeth had changed him.

Jenna's question replayed in his mind again, as it had done throughout the night before. Why was it haunting him? He had told the druid yesterday that she was wrong. He _wanted_ her to be wrong.

But now as he looked down at the silver hair fanned across his chest, felt her soft curves pressed against him, he knew now that had changed too. There was absolutely no denying his feelings anymore. He wanted to love her. He wanted her to love him.

Admitting this to himself made him feel at once excited and unsettled. The consequences that would come from this would be enormous: even if he hadn't just betrayed his own clan, his own king and father, there was absolutely no hope that his relationship with an Apostle of the Goddesses would have been acceptable. The demon king would have probably put him in chains for even daring to suggest it. His love for Elizabeth was about to put her in the most severe danger possible, and not just from the king, although that was bad enough. Zeldris and the other Commandments would enjoy taking them both out entirely too much. And Estarossa, when he learned he had been lied to… Meliodas knew he would search for them under every rock and behind every corner of Britannia.

Meliodas swallowed as the unexpected and unfamiliar feeling of fear settled over him. Suddenly he needed to look outside himself for strength, something that made him more unsettled than before. He slid his arm around her waist and rolled over, and Elizabeth was underneath him in one easy movement. She gave a sigh and stretched a bit as Meliodas looked down at her.

All of this trouble, for this woman? He had a moment of doubt, just a half of a second, and then she opened her eyes. Elizabeth smiled at him, her eyelashes fluttering as she came fully awake, and Meliodas had never felt more sure of anything in his life.

He pressed his face against hers, tightening his arms around her back, turning a bit to breathe her in. It felt as though he wanted to brand himself with her body, her scent, her voice, her touch. Any other woman that had ever caught his eye, the demon had wanted to take, to claim and mark, to put beneath him. But this time _he_ wanted to belong to _her_. Meliodas was no coward, but he knew that he could not face what was coming without the surety of her being there beside him.

Gently he pressed his lips against her throat. His mouth trailed down her chest, and when he felt one hand slide into his hair and another slide along his spine, he grinned and kissed the inside curve of her breast. "Are you awake now?" he murmured. He had so much to tell her suddenly, but did not know where to begin.

There was a sudden prick at the back of his neck, but he pushed the sensation away quickly when he heard Elizabeth giggle. Meliodas drew himself up and looked down at her face. She smiled up at him, her arms around him, and he thought that he could wake up with her like this forever. There was no way he would ever leave her again. He felt as though he could walk through death itself and find his way back to her.

As he trailed his lips in gentle kisses over her face, the sensation came again, like a tiny spark at the base of his skull; but again, Meliodas chose to ignore it. Instead he pressed his mouth on hers and kissed her softly, teasing her lips with his. He had never taken the time before to enjoy the taste and the curve of someone's lips as he did in this moment, relishing the firm and supple way they slid against his. Her mouth was perfect, and perfectly made, just for him.

"Meliodas," she whispered. A deep shudder rolled up his spine, dousing him with a sudden chill, and his eyes snapped open. It wasn't desire, he realized, suddenly confused; but then she opened her eyes and looked up at him, and he shivered for an entirely different reason.

Again and again they kissed, slowly, leisurely. As if their lives weren't in danger, as if they weren't supposed to have been gone _hours_ ago. Meliodas groaned into her mouth, telling himself to get up before this went too far again; the nagging feeling under his skin was steadily increasing, and he knew he had to move. But her hands running over his back felt too good, her body warm and soft underneath him too perfect. The sense of sureness washed through him again, the feeling that this was _right_ , and Meliodas had no doubt that he was living now for her. The need to destroy and conquer was melting away with each brush of her lips; the desire to raise the demon clan and see the others on their knees was gone with the sound of her voice. The demon inside of him had been satisfied not with bloodshed, but with Elizabeth's presence next to him. He was no longer the feared, formidable demon prince; now he was protector, guardian, savior, love.

Minutes went by, maybe hours, maybe days. Through the slow haze of passion Meliodas had one thought: how dangerous this was, how easy it was to get swept up by her beauty and her charm. He felt a flush of embarrassed heat to admit this, even to himself. He needed to stay strong and focused. They had a plan, an objective. Getting her to safety was a matter of life or death. Yet her sighs were melting into moans, her hands and mouth becoming more insistent, her hips beginning to squirm underneath him, and he was losing this fight.

Elizabeth murmured his name again against his lips, setting his blood on fire. His hands slid lower to push her legs apart, but then she said, "Shouldn't we be going?"

His hands stilled and his eyes opened. The memory of the strange feeling beneath his skin came back, and as he tried to focus on what it could have been her lips pressed against his cheek. "Unless you would rather… would you rather stay?"

"No," he answered immediately. He leaned up a bit and looked at her seriously, her blue eyes flickering between his. "Elizabeth, I'm going to protect you. I'm going to keep you safe."

She bit her lower lip and brushed her fingers along the side of his neck. "I know you will try. I trust you."

"Try?" he huffed. Reluctantly he sat up, swinging his legs over to sit on the end of the bed, and began to pull on his discarded clothes. "I'm keeping you safe. This isn't an option."

"Meliodas," she sighed. She sat up, pulling the blanket around her body, and slid over next to him. Her hand slid to cup his cheek, turning his face towards her. He pressed against it as she continued, "You can't make that promise. No one knows what will happen. We are fighting in a war that no one will win."

He closed his eyes briefly, feeling her warm palm on his skin, which helped keep the sudden frustration in check. " _I_ will win."

She shook her head with a sad smile. "No matter which side claims victory, in the end, all of Britannia will have already lost so much."

He frowned in confusion, and the spark at his neck flared again, brighter and more insistent than before. But he couldn't think about that now, because he was too focused on Elizabeth's words. "I don't care about the rest of Britannia," he told her. "All I care about is you."

"Meliodas!" Elizabeth's arms were around his neck in a moment, and she pulled him tightly against her in a hug. "I feel the same way," she breathed, pressing her cheek against his. "I want to protect you. I want you to be safe too."

Meliodas could not help but smile. "You've saved my life twice. Let me return the favor."

He planted a kiss on her cheek before reaching for his shirt and pulling it over his head. Then he gathered up her clothes and handed them to her, which made Elizabeth blush sweetly. Meliodas put his hands on his hips and chuckled at her sudden bashfulness, after her boldness the night before. He suddenly hoped that she would never stop surprising him, and he suspected that she never really would.

"Do you know where we are heading?" she asked as she slipped her arms through the sleeves.

The demon shrugged. "East, I know that much. The demons are marching from the west, so that will be the best way to put miles between us and them." Elizabeth nodded, and he casually turned around to give her privacy as she finished dressing, using the opportunity to pull his scabbard around his back and check his sword.

"I've never been East," she told him. "In fact, this is the furthest I've ever traveled in Britannia." He heard Elizabeth take a deep breath before continuing, her voice shaking slightly, "But I'm willing to do whatever we need to do. I don't want to be a burden on you. I can work hard, and I can—I can—"

An unexpected sense of dread formed suddenly in his stomach, causing Meliodas to snap his attention back towards the druid. He could tell how nervous Elizabeth was, and when she stood after pulling on her boots, Meliodas grabbed her by the hips and pulled her against him. "I'm going to keep you safe," he insisted. "You don't have to be afraid."

"It's this war," she said sadly. "It's destroyed so much, taken so many people, homes and lands are _gone_." Meliodas was afraid that she would cry again, but even though her eyes were shining, he could see there was no fear, just determination. It was a strength he had seen when she challenged him the first time they were together in the Holy Knights' camp, and when she stood in front of him at the river, and when she had stepped up to confess her crime to the other druids. It was still as gripping as the first time he had seen this spirit in her eyes. "I wanted—I wanted to _help_ somehow. I wanted to do something to stop it. I—I know it's silly, but I thought, I had _hoped_ to see this war end, that I could somehow…"

"Elizabeth, this is bigger than just you," he said in confusion. "And now I'm taking you away from it, so there's not need to worry any more."

The girl shook her head. "It's going to follow us. And the rest of these people, who we are leaving behind…" She turned her face and looked past him, her eyes going unfocused for a moment, as if looking at a memory. "I just wanted to do something. And now that hope is over."

There was a moment of silence as Meliodas turned her words over in his mind. "You have done something," he said finally. "You made me want to follow you."

"I don't understand," she whispered fiercely. "You are so powerful, you are a demon and a _prince_ , why would you ever—for someone like me—to give up _everything_ —"

"You are everything," he whispered in her ear, and smiled when her breath caught. He felt Elizabeth turn her face to touch her forehead against his, her hands sliding over his shoulders, and Meliodas thought now was the time, he needed to tell her how he felt, needed to confess that he loved her… but Elizabeth spoke first.

"Meliodas," she said slowly, "I—"

His heart seized in anticipation, and then his senses exploded in a flash of dark flame. All at once the nagging sensations just under his skin, the rolling emotion that he had thought was coming from his betrayal made sense. She was speaking, but he couldn't hear anything over the roar of blood pounding in his ears, panic rushing through him violently.

"Elizabeth!" he hissed, grabbing her hand and pulling her forward. "We need to go, now!"

"What's happening?" she cried, her voice rising in panic.

He pulled her through the opening of the tent, practically running as she stumbled behind him. "It's the demons, they're—!"

Meliodas stopped short, staring ahead at the horizon, and quickly pushed her behind him as his hand went to the hilt of his sword on his back. He heard Elizabeth say something, but he did not answer. His eyes were trained straight ahead, at the demon army, about to descend upon the camp.

.o0o.

Elizabeth beamed at Meliodas, and Meliodas cleared his throat. "Don't kill me just yet," he smirked, rubbing a hand through his hair, and to his delight she squealed, "Sorry! I'm so sorry!"

Chuckling, he gestured for her to follow, and they started down the path towards Baste. Meliodas snuck glances over at the princess, who was looking around, taking in their surroundings. He wondered what sort of life she had lived until now, if this was the furthest she had been from the castle. It seemed to be the case, the way she exclaimed over their surroundings or made a comment on something she had never seen before.

"Elizabeth?" Hawk asked, interrupting his thoughts. "What would you do if _I_ died?"

"Um," she answered delicately, "I would… do my best? I suppose?"

Meliodas let out a huge laugh. He put his hands behind his head, grinning at her as she snuck a glance at him and giggled, and he thought of how easy it was with her, how natural. He could walk along this path all day with her beside him.

Deep down, he knew it was a dangerous thought. This girl was too young, too naive for him. She was a _princess_. And him? He was a fugitive, a disgraced Holy Knight, wanted for murder and treason. And that was the crimes they _knew_ about. But as they walked, and she and Hawk chatted, he thought about how easy it would be to stay with her.

 _I'm going to keep her safe_ , he promised himself. _No matter what_.

"You're too cruel, Elizabeth!" Hawk was wailing, as Elizabeth tried to placate him. Wanting to hear her laugh again, Meliodas said, "Don't worry piggy! If you die, it won't be in vain! You'll feed us for a week!"

"Is that what you—!?" Hawk shouted, but at that moment, there was a crash directly in their path. Immediately, Meliodas grabbed Elizabeth as he jumped in front of her, his instincts kicking in instantly. In a flash his had was over his shoulder, gripping the hilt of the sword on his back.

"What is it?" Hawk shouted. "Is it the enemy?!"

"It's… Diane?" Meliodas answered in confusion. He tilted his head back, looking up and up at the giantess. Alarms were going off all around him, and he knew immediately there was trouble brewing.


	13. Chapter 13

Meliodas jumped, gripping the dragon hilt as he swiped viciously at the giant Holy Knight. The knight kicked at him, but he twisted his body out of the way easily, narrowly avoiding being crushed. He grabbed the giant by the leg and pulled with all his strength. The knight stumbled, and the Dragon Sin gave a shout in triumph. But Meliodas was clipped as he fell, and they both crashed into the side of a small hill. Dirt and debris rained down on them as they each scrambled back into fighting stances.

"For a midget Holy Knight, you're pretty tough," the knight said, raising his foot to stomp on him. Meliodas shot into the air, his body flying backwards, and spun to aim his sword at the enemy. "For a giant Holy Knight, you're pretty quick," he snapped back. He threw a punch, hoping to knock the giant off-balance again; but it was blocked easily, which he had half anticipated. This knight was more skilled than the others he had encountered.

Meliodas realized he was going to have to actually make an effort, an idea that both thrilled him and filled him with apprehension. _Keep it together, keep it in check_ , he chided himself, leaping again to bring a flurry of punches against the knight. He had already allowed his demon side to slip once today; Meliodas did not want to have to pack that part of him back up again. It would be too much, too risky, especially around—

 _Elizabeth_. Where was she? He had lost track of her, and for an instant he pushed his senses out, glancing over his shoulder as the knight blocked his attacks. As he hunted for her, Meliodas did not see the knight raise his fist. At the last minute, the flash of movement caught his eye, and it was enough to brace himself against the hit. His body slammed into the ground, the impact harder than he anticipated, forcing the breath from his body.

He kicked the knight's fist away as he jumped out of the small crater now on the ground. Meliodas wished that he would use a magic attack on him so he could end this fight with _Full Counter_ , but instead, the giant bent to try to snatch him up. With another punch he deflected the hand, then stepped back to evaluate again. This Holy Knight was huge, the largest he had ever seen. Meliodas hoped that Elizabeth was well out of the way, because he wasn't sure how he was going to stop the knight if he kept using physical attacks.

Suddenly, the memory of his brother, Estarossa, came unbidden to his mind. His _Full Counter_ could deflect physical attacks, and when they fought together in the past, side by side, they were practically invincible. But that was years ago, _thousands_ of years ago, and a cold chill ran through him as he remembered.

 _It's all these damn Holy Knights_ , he thought to himself. Just like the Holy Knights he had faced then, lifetime upon lifetime ago. All at once he was angry, _incredibly_ angry, as those events tumbled through his mind, spinning completely out of control. Meliodas shouted, jumping at the knight, and swiped with his blade. He did not fight to kill, and had not fought to kill in such a very, very long time; but now, as this knight who had threatened him and threatened _Elizabeth_ raised his arm guard and blocked his blade, he felt like he _could_ kill, today.

Elizabeth was innocent. She was defenseless against these Holy Knights, and it was up to him to protect her. He had to stop them before they could hurt her, before they could take her away.

The crash of their strength against one another blew both foes backwards, and Meliodas landed on his feet at the top of a small hill several dozen yards away. His chest was heaving as the anger and hate rolled through him. His eyes narrowed as he prepared his next attack.

"Both of you! Stop it!"

Elizabeth's voice cut like a knife through the haze. All at once he could see, really _see_ , and knew immediately what was happening. It was a spell of some kind, one that made him think Diane was the enemy. He blinked rapidly as Diane leaned down towards Elizabeth—Elizabeth, who was right there, right next to where they had just been fighting! His stomach churned for a moment at the idea of how close to danger she was, because of him, _again_.

"You're still here?" Diane was saying, still bent and speaking to Elizabeth, who was holding on tightly to the hand of the little boy he had left in her care. What was she _doing_? She had to go, to run and get as far away as she could. These knights were more powerful than he had anticipated, and Meliodas felt an unfamiliar sliver of fear: not for himself, but for the princess. He opened his mouth to shout to them when suddenly—

They were gone. The knight had returned. Meliodas felt the flash of anger again, the familiar and almost _comforting_ heat in his body as his blood burned, his entire body itching to fight, and to kill.

.o0o.

The demons descended upon the camp in a crashing wave. Within a minute they had taken out the fence and pushed into the camp, the front line of red demons easily stomping on whatever was in their way. The humans were quickly overwhelmed, soldiers and knights running in every direction as orders were shouted furiously. The horses screamed as they were trampled or set on fire, tents exploded with the demon attacks, and the ground quickly became covered with dead and wounded.

In the middle of the fray, Meliodas gripped Elizabeth's hand, pulling her silently through the chaos. And chaos it truly was; if he had not been so desperate to escape the destruction, he would have been pleased with how efficiently the demons were carrying out their battle strategy. He wondered briefly who was in charge in his absence, not that it mattered much. The plan of attack had been set, and the demons would not stop until every objective was met. They would kill until every last person was gone.

But within minutes, the Holy Knights had rallied themselves and were taking on the red demons more efficiently than the demons would have anticipated, thanks to the information that Meliodas had shared. He knew that meant that the ground forces would be sent in soon to engage the attention of the knights, and they _had_ to be gone by then. His familiarity with the way the demons and the knights moved allowed him to slip through the camp without much notice, but Meliodas was certain that once the swarm of demon soldiers entered their territory, the fighting would erupt at a furious pace, one that might prove impossible to escape.

They were nearly to the line of trees that began the forest, which was where he was heading. Not that the forest would offer much protection; many of the humans in the camp had run, looking to the trees for cover. He knew that there would be squads dispatched to scour the forest, burning it down and turning it over to find every last living soul there. But at least it would be _something_ , rather than this battlefield where they were no more than sitting targets.

Meliodas dragged Elizabeth behind him as he weaved in and out of the standing tents and the fires that dotted what was left of the camp. The urgency to get them out of there exceeded his desire to comfort her and reassure her, and he ignored her shouts and the way she clutched onto his arm. It even superseded his own bloodlust, that was threatening to rage just beneath the surface of his skin with the fighting that surrounded them. His very nature was to fight, kill, destroy, and it took all his willpower to maintain his focus on escape. Retreat was not a concept with which Meliodas was familiar or comfortable.

When they turned another corner, avoiding a stockpile of weapons that had been set on fire, he found there was a fight going on between three Holy Knights and a gray demon directly in their path. Quickly he pulled Elizabeth another way, pushing her to take cover behind an upended wagon. Pressing her down, he crouched beside her as she collapsed on the ground in a heap. Meliodas closed his eyes for a moment as he pushed his senses outward, trying to pinpoint a clear route out of the fighting. But the feel of her hands on his arms pulled him away from his task, and his concentration broke as she gasped, "Meliodas! What are we going to do?"

Unable to help himself, he opened his eyes. She looked just as frightened as he had feared she would be, but was pleased to see a hardening on her face, a determination that he knew would be important to getting themselves through this. "We need to get to the woods," he hissed at her. "Once we get there, I can use my power to get us out of here."

Elizabeth blinked, but even as she nodded, her eyes drifted to the side. "What about them?" she whispered. He followed her gaze to the bodies of soldiers nearby.

Annoyed, Meliodas gave her a little shake. "You need to forget them!" he growled. "We are getting out of here."

Shaking her head, Elizabeth tightened her grip on his arms and said, "But if we—we can help—we can help them—"

"No," he answered firmly. Not wanting to continue this conversation, the demon stood, pulling her up against him. He felt Elizabeth's breath catch, her body tensing up, and was suddenly sure she was upset… but he could not deal with that now. Not when there was so much at stake, not when their _lives_ were at stake.

 _She is important. You must keep her safe._

Lady Jenna's words came to mind, and his promise to her. It was looking more and more hopeless as the moments ticked by for the Holy Knights, but _he_ was still the most powerful and dangerous thing in this battle. Meliodas knew he could get them out of there. If only they could make it to the trees, this would be over.

"Come on," he said harshly, pulling Elizabeth again. He noted a shift in the energies around him, and knew immediately the demons were pulling back. It was far from a retreat, however; they were regrouping, taking the opportunity to reform their lines and bring in fresh soldiers. This would not last more than a few minutes, he knew, but this was their chance to make a run for it.

Meliodas moved, counting in his head how much more time they had, and ran headlong into a troop of soldiers. These were not the Holy Knights, but warriors of the druid clan, and could be dispatched of much easier. His sword was out in an instant as they converged on him, and Elizabeth shouted, "No! Stop!"

"It's that demon!" one yelled, and then they were attacking, their weapons clashing against his own as he maneuvered around Elizabeth. There was another shout, and to his surprise the knights pulled back. He stood shaking with rage as he scanned them, his hand still gripping Elizabeth tightly to him.

"You lied to us, demon!" The hairs on his neck rose as he looked to the side, the voice instantly familiar. Lady Jenna stood there, her eyes accusing him, as the druids stood poised to attack on her command. "You said we had days left!"

Her words caused a twisting in his stomach that a week ago he would have thought was impossible. "I thought you did," he responded darkly. "I gave you the information I had."

"Liar!" one of the soldiers shouted.

"You set us up!" yelled another.

Elizabeth struggled against him, protesting, but Meliodas stood firm. "I did not lie to you. Now get out of my way, before I cut each and every one of you down." He looked back at Jenna and locked eyes with her. "I don't care who I have to kill. I am getting out of here."

She did not respond, but another soldier growled, "Do you think that we're going to just—"

"I'll start with you," he said to Jenna, cutting off the druid's threat. Meliodas squeezed his hand around the hilt of his sword. He was ready to kill her, kill all of them if they did not move.

Jenna's eyes slid from him to Elizabeth. "You are an Apostle of the Goddesses, Elizabeth," she said earnestly, taking a step forward. "You have the power to stop them, power that we do not. Help us, please."

Meliodas growled in anger, and began to raise his hand to strike. But Elizabeth jerked away from his grip on her, pressing her palms against his chest. "Stop this, please," she begged him.

Immediately he stilled. Meliodas opened his mouth, ready to argue, but then thought better of it. They had only a few minutes more before the new wave of demons would descend on them; there was no time for arguing, not now. But before he could move, Elizabeth turned back to the druid leader and said, "I'm sorry. I promised I'd go with him. And I—I don't know how to stop this." Meliodas was both surprised and hurt to see a tear hovering on the edge of her lashes. "I don't think I can do what you've asked me to do."

Meliodas looked between the two women. "What are you talking about?" he hissed.

"Elizabeth," Jenna said slowly, ignoring the demon, "I know you can do this. Only you can turn this battle."

"Don't be a fool!" Meliodas shouted. "The Ten Commandments are here. Do you have _any_ idea what that means?" He could feel the anger burning again, the heat flashing over his brow at the idea of Elizabeth being forced to fight. "Even if you could somehow match their power, you could fall to any of their curses at any time. You cannot fight them. _Elizabeth_ cannot fight them."

Finally Jenna looked at him. "There are other ways to stop the demons than fighting," she responded cryptically.

Meliodas frowned deeply, blinking for a moment as he stared back at her. "We're leaving," he finally said, and took Elizabeth's hand.

He stalked forward, Elizabeth following silently. "Let them go," Jenna said after them, and the others parted for them even as they grumbled their dissent. Confusion laid heavily on his mind as Meliodas walked, but he was grateful at least that Elizabeth did not argue.

There was a tug on his hand, and the demon paused. _I should have known_ , he thought to himself. He looked at Elizabeth and nodded, and the druid turned and called, "Lady Jenna! Please, come with us!"

Meliodas did not bother to turn around. There was a bit of an argument brewing, so he simply called out, "The demon army is advancing again, right now. If you wish to leave, it must be now." He could feel the army shifting, and knew it was time; without a word he pulled Elizabeth forward and took off in a run. "Meliodas!" she shouted breathlessly, holding on tightly to his neck; but he did not respond, simply rushing as fast as he could forward, crashing into the forest.

Lady Jenna and the other druids followed on his heels, but Meliodas did not have time to even be annoyed by this. His assumption that the forest would be crawling with demons was proven correct almost immediately, and within minutes Meliodas was forced to fight as a squad of demon soldiers ambushed them. "Don't move," he said to Elizabeth, placing her on her feet and stepping forward to face them. The other druids drew their own weapons, even Jenna, as the enemy circled.

"It's the general!" one shouted as they approached, and another laughed. "We found him! Don't forget to take him alive. There is a reward for him, but only if we deliver him still breathing."

Meliodas laughed. "Come on, then."

He tore through his opponents with the efficiency and savagery for which the demon prince was known. Meliodas moved steadily, expertly, cutting down one soldier after another without thought or hesitation. The druids barely needed to fight, not that they would have stood much of a chance. Elizabeth was never more than a step or two from him, and to her credit, she did not try to interfere, did not cry out or step in or even move without his prompting. This allowed him to focus solely on eliminating the threat that seemed to be coming from everywhere. He fell back on the old instincts and lessons that only years upon years of ruthlessness could provide, easily slipping into his role as a weapon of the demon king.

It only took a few minutes before the demons were retreating back. It had become clear to all what the callous and skilled fighter was capable of, and he heard the calls to fall back as he stepped over the bodies of the demons he slew. He had been in countless fights before, nearly as far back as he could remember, but for the first time in his entire life, Meliodas was not fighting for himself.

Once the attack subsided, he was able to assess himself as he pushed them forward. He had taken only a bit of damage, which was healing rapidly as they moved. Elizabeth's hand never left his, a steadying presence that kept him from losing himself and returning to the fight. His demon mark continued burning against his skin. It had been quite a long time since he had something to fight _against_ ; even longer since he had something to fight _for_.

Deep down, Meliodas was enjoying this immensely.

The feeling of pure malice suddenly crashed over him like a wave, and Meliodas knew that word must have reached the command that he had been spotted. For a moment he stopped, turning his narrowed eyes to the side to better gauge how much time he had left. He could hear Elizabeth breathing deeply against him, and she pressed heavily on his arm. "What's wrong?" she asked tightly.

"The Ten Commandments are coming," he responded simply. Her fingers dug into him, but Meliodas only swallowed, continuing forward. It was impossible yet to tell how many there were, or which of the Commandments were approaching, but he was certain that _something_ was. He did not care about the druids that travelled with them silently. But he knew he could not outrun them, not with Elizabeth; there was little doubt that they knew where he was, if not his location exactly. If he took to the sky there was still risk they would attack, and it would be harder for him to protect her. The rest of them would be nothing more than fodder when facing one of the Commandments.

"When I tell you to run," he said, loud enough for them all to hear, "I want you to head south. They might not expect that, it might buy you some time." He picked up his pace as the venomous energies drew closer. "Find somewhere to hide. I will find you when it's safe."

"Meliodas," she said pleadingly, causing his heart to twist in his chest. He paused briefly and turned to look at her. The anxiety in her expression made him frown, until he realized her concern was for him. With a sigh he placed a hand on her cheek. "I will always come back for you," he said determinedly.

"You said we would do this together. I don't want us to separate."

"It's the only way," responded the demon bitterly. He absolutely hated the idea of Elizabeth being out of his sight, but he knew that the others would be focused on him first. Somehow he would find a way to get away from them.

"I wish," she murmured, taking his hand, "I wish I could have been… been stronger, for you."

Meliodas frowned, shaking his head, and then he looked Lady Jenna straight in the eyes. "When I tell you to run, get her out of here."

The druid only nodded in response, and they continued walking. A few minutes later he stopped. Meliodas not only sensed them, but he could see them in his mind's eye. There were only two, the two he knew better than any others.

"Elizabeth, run," he hissed. She hesitated, so Meliodas growled to the others, "I said, run!"

He pushed her away, and the druids took off. Meliodas watched her silver head disappear behind the trees when a voice came from the darkness at his side. "Are you lost, brother?" Estarossa said, and in a flash his weapon was drawn and held high, blocking his brother's own curved one. "Strange to meet you here," the taller demon chuckled humorlessly. "I had figured you weren't interested in being a soldier any longer. But instead, you've traded command of one army for another?"

He did not bother to answer, but used his force to shove his brother back. Meliodas quickly scanned before his eyes darted over his shoulder, where Zeldris stood, an unreadable expression on his face. "You haven't answered my question," prodded Estarossa, his tone almost conversational.

"I will kill you both if I have to," he gave in answer, and Zeldris shouted behind him, "Your days of giving threats are over now, Meliodas! The king is well aware of your betrayal and has relieved you of your duties. In fact, Father wants to speak to you in person."

Meliodas grit his teeth at his youngest brother's arrogance. Even if he _had_ betrayed them, and had no more power to give orders, he was still the most powerful demon to ever live. "You must know you cannot stop me," Meliodas warned. "Neither of you can."

In response, Zeldris dashed forward with his weapon raised. Meliodas felt the grip he had on his powers snap, filling and overflowing around him with the drive to strike and kill. The desire to fight that he had wrapped up tightly as they ran came flooding out as he faced off against his brother. Zeldris was skilled, and fast; but Meliodas was faster, and within a few exchanged blows he had pushed the younger back.

" _Execution_ ," Zeldris called, and a blast of demonic power flew at Meliodas.

He turned and planted one foot forward, his arm swinging. " _Full Counter_!"

The attack crashed backwards, but it was powerful enough that Meliodas felt the vibrations of their two powers slamming together. The reverberation caused him to stumble backwards, and Estarossa was waiting. He was struck in the jaw, then the chest, and Meliodas had not time to react. His power jumped again beneath his skin, the hair on his body standing up with the pulse of electricity even as he grunted in pain. Meliodas moved, managing to dodge the next blow, and called out, " _Divine Slayer_."

Dark violet flames burst from his sword, and Meliodas swung. He felt alive as the power exploded from his body, and the bloodlust that had thrilled him earlier burst through him with a savage vehemence. Every ounce of his magic was poured into this attack, wanting to end them, to wipe the smirk from Zeldris' face and to pay Estarossa back for his threats. The desire to protect Elizabeth was muted, replaced by his need to _win_. The forest lit up with a bright flash as the attack connected. Meliodas braced himself against the wave of energy, peering into the cloud of smoke and dirt that now surrounded them.

His stomach dropped as he saw both of his brothers still standing, both looking a bit worse for wear, but mostly unharmed. Zeldris was staring at him flatly, his chest rising and falling with each shuddering breath the only sign that he had felt any effects at all. His head and shoulders were bowed, and Meliodas watched his hand tighten on his sword. Estarossa, on the other hand, stood tall and relaxed, looking almost disappointedly at him.

 _How are they still standing?_ Meliodas wondered. _Estarossa could have withstood that, but Zeldris should have taken much more damage…_

The question must have been on his face, because Zeldris laughed, the sound sending a chill up his own spine. "Good news, brother," Zeldris said. Both of his brothers moved, each walking in an arc to flank him on either side. Meliodas' eyes darted back and forth as he tracked their movements while Zeldris continued, "Since you are no longer needed, the king has given your Commandment to _me_. I'm powerful enough now to withstand your tricks."

 _That answers that_. Meliodas had been so wrapped up in Elizabeth, in finding a way out of the camp and away from the fight that he had not even noticed his own powers shifting. He had thought that his churning emotions had all been solely because of Elizabeth.

 _Elizabeth_. He pushed his powers out, cursing himself for losing track of her and losing himself in this fight. Continuing to track their movements, Meliodas struggled to contain the impulse to strike out. He needed to conserve his energy and his strength; he would still need to find Elizabeth and escape and get her to safety somehow.

"It's quite remarkable how easy it is to read your thoughts now," Estarossa said, coming to a stop. "Before all of this nonsense no one could predict what you would do. It was so entertaining to see what sort of torment you could think up for the enemy. But now it's clear that you are thinking about her, trying to figure out how to get both of you through this alive."

Meliodas cursed under his breath. "Is this the result of falling in love?" Estarossa asked. "How terribly disappointing."

To his side Zeldris jumped, and Meliodas spun, using all of his power to fight them both off. It was a struggle with his brother's new power level to keep on the offence with him while maintaining purely defensive moves with Estarossa. Zeldris lunged, and he took a blow to the ribs; Estarossa swung his sword, and Meliodas dodged. Avoidance was now his only priority, but he knew this could not last forever. At some point they would strike together, and Meliodas would have to deliver a fatal blow to end this. The idea of this did not completely trouble him; but why had they not moved to end him yet? Why were they still attacking him in this way?

"Do you still think you can win?" Zeldris shouted. Meliodas watched as Zeldris struggled to maintain his own emotions in check as they sparred. The normally aloof demon was uncharacteristically unsettled, which was evident by the way his limbs shook as he delivered blow after blow, the way his voice trembled as he spoke.

"That girl has made you _weak_ ," Estarossa growled at him as Meliodas stopped a rapid series of strikes. "I told you I would release you from her curse, and I will do so with her blood!"

Fear and alarm flared instantly. Suddenly he realized that this was the plan, that they had not advanced the way he knew they could because they were biding time. Frantically he searched again for the druid's energy and was horror-struck to find he could not find her. He had once again gotten caught up in the fight.

Seething, Meliodas lashed out, going on offense. Estarossa slipped as he was taken off-guard, and then Meliodas managed to land a blow from which he knew Zeldris would struggle to recover. But Estarossa recovered instantly from his falter, his own sword slicing forward, forcing Meliodas to jump out of the way.

He launched himself back, and decided to do something he absolutely _hated_ to do: he decided to run. Escaping as fast as he could while Zeldris was down, Meliodas took off south. He searched frantically for Elizabeth, unable to feel her presence. The emptiness without her drove him forward, searching, searching, looking for her everywhere.

"Elizabeth!" he shouted. He was losing control, he could _feel_ it. His mind and his soul practically throbbed inside him, screaming at him to turn around. Meliodas wanted to fight. He wanted to kill. But Elizabeth was out there somewhere, and he could not feel her anymore.

Estarossa and Zeldris were following, he was sure. But that didn't matter. None of it mattered, except finding Elizabeth.

Without warning, the power of the Goddess clan burst through the forest. It nearly knocked him off of his feet, and the demon mark on his forehead seared with pain. His own defenses fired up inside of him as a response before he realized it had to be coming from Elizabeth. Meliodas shouted her name again and flew forward. There was only one reason he could think of why she would be showing such a display of power.

There was a shout, and he ran, practically skimming across the ground. Up ahead, there was a soft, warm light, and he remembered her at the river. "Elizabeth!" he screamed. Meliodas was trembling from pushing himself, breathing heavily; but he stopped in his tracks when he finally found her.

The forest was thinner here, and there was a small rise that the druids were scrambling up, shouting and pulling one another forward. Below, in the little valley it created, a swarm of red and gray demons followed. Their pace was much slower, sluggish, but Meliodas knew that there was nowhere for them to run and hide from such a horde.

But Elizabeth stood before them, her hands raised in front of her. The light was coming from the druid, the warm energy flowing out from her and over the little valley. It exploded outwards in a wave, and as it touched the demons, they stopped one by one. He watched in amazement as their movements stilled. The glowing energy covered everything in view, and as they were bathed in her light, the demons fell, as if they were drained of their energy and their will to fight.

When the warmth hit him, Meliodas found himself dropping to his knees in the grass. He raised his hand up to his face, looking at the glowing skin in shock. Instead of feeling drained, however, he felt more alive than ever in his life. His eyes widened as he looked back at Elizabeth, the beautiful girl who had changed him so definitively, so _fundamentally_ , and he knew that he would never, ever leave her side.

Meliodas could not help but stare in awe. The day she had protected him at the river, he had seen just a glimpse of her power as an Apostle; the look of wonder on her face told him that she was just as stunned as he by what was happening. Meliodas felt an incredible flash of heat across his skin as he took a shuddering breath. Her hair was lifted gently by the flow of energy, and once the demons were completely subdued, she lowered her hands, the astonishment now replaced with relief and determination on her face.

She was breathtaking in this moment.

He shook his head, blinking, and slowly coming up to stand on trembling legs. He felt shaky and overwhelmed, but was driven to move with the need to take Elizabeth in his arms and prove that this was _real_. With a final steadying breath, Meliodas stumbled forward.

Watching her, he felt safe, and healed, and whole. He would bring down demons and giants and knights, destroy entire kingdoms, fight anyone or anything to protect her. He would tear apart the universe itself, if it meant finding her and keeping her safe.

His mind was so completely focused on Elizabeth that he did not feel the dark presence until it was on top of them. Every alarm in his head went off the instant that Estarossa dropped to the ground behind Elizabeth. There was sudden screaming, and he could not tell if it was in his mind or if he was actually making such a sound. The panic rushed at him from every direction, and he flew forward.

Estarossa reached out and grabbed Elizabeth by the hair. He drew her up off of her feet, eliciting a sharp cry from the girl. Then she gasped as Estarossa's sword sliced through her, the point of the blade bursting out from her chest. Her eyes went wide for a moment, and then the demon pulled the sword out with a twist. Blood was suddenly everywhere, drenching her, and Estarossa opened his hand. Elizabeth dropped to the ground in a heap. She did not move.

.o0o.

There was a terrible ringing in his head, and Meliodas stumbled. With a shout he swiped at the knight, but the pain came again, piercing his temples. For a moment he could only stand and blink, his vision blurred as he tried to keep focused on the enemy he was fighting.

The image of the knight swam before his eyes; then, he realized, it was Diane.

The memory of the fight returned, and he knew _again_ that there was an enchantment. But it had been lifted, this he was sure of; it was if a blanket he didn't realize was wrapped around him was now gone. Diane looked dazed as well, frowning at him. "Captain?" she said in a small voice.

"Diane," he said with a deep breath, "are you—"

His eyes trailed around, searching for the princess, when they landed on the knight he had seen in his visions. His actual size was that of a normal human, his armor shining in the bright sunlight. Next to him stood another knight, whose hands were raised towards him. At his feet Meliodas could see a bloody, unmoving body. He narrowed his eyes for a split second until his body went cold, his mind registering the silver hair.

The knight was shouting, and he stopped to listen. "You wench!" he yelled. "You were after the bell all along!"

He raised his fist, throwing it towards the body on the ground, and Meliodas moved.


	14. Chapter 14

Meliodas gripped the Holy Knight's arm. His face was a furious scowl, but he did not try to speak. The rage inside him was pulsating, swirling through his veins like fire, and the Dragon Sin knew that the moment he allowed even a crack to show, it would burst forth in an explosion. His green eyes burned as he looked up and shouted, "How dare you!"

He could feel the knight trying to tug back his arm, but Meliodas only dug his fingers into the armor. What he wanted was to break the damn thing off, arm and all, but he knew that wouldn't really solve anything. It would just leave a mess.

What he _needed_ was to show these Holy Knights that they were not unstoppable. He needed to break their arrogance. He needed to remind them what justice really was.

There was a small sound behind him, bringing Meliodas back from his dark thoughts. "How was the spell broken?" the knight wondered out loud, but Meliodas did not bother to answer. He flung the arm from his grip and turned, kneeling next to Elizabeth on the ground.

The sight of her bruised and bloody body made his heart twist in his chest. He cradled his palm against her face, taking in the cut above her eye, the swollen jaw, the slices all over her skin. What the hell had she been doing? What had _he_ done to her? When he had first caught sight of Elizabeth in a heap on the ground, Meliodas had been afraid for a moment about what he would do if he had found her unmoving, not breathing… He knew that he would not have been able to stop the destruction that lived inside of him, even though it had only been a few weeks since the princess had crashed into the tavern.

Could he feel this certain, this soon? Could the connection between them be this real? As he dragged his eyes over her injuries, Meliodas remembered that the weeks they had together was more time than he had had with his first love. So _yes_ , he could trust what he felt and what he knew to be true.

Elizabeth was more than just a familiar name and a beautiful face. She was more than a girl that reminded him of another. She was _different_. It didn't make any sense to him, but he could not deny the thudding in his heart as he looked at her. He had spent lifetimes finding and losing ones just like her, doing what he could to survive over and over again. Yet he _knew_ there was something different this time. This realization frightened him, because he also knew that the destruction that lived inside of him would not be contained if he lost her. That had been proven already, in the past.

But thankfully, her skin was warm. He took her hand and felt her pulse beating steadily underneath, could see for himself the shallow rise and fall of her chest. Elizabeth was hurt, but she was _alive_. Relief flooded through him.

"Elizabeth," Hawk moaned behind him. Meliodas turned and looked over his shoulder. The pig was laying in a heap of his own, also looking bruised and broken. "She put herself in harm's way. She did it for you, and Diane."

Swallowing around the lump in his throat, Meliodas looked back at the princess. She made another small sound and he wondered if she was drifting in and out of consciousness, if she knew he was there. _Please, open your eyes_ , he said silently to himself.

As his own eyes worriedly traced over her, Meliodas thought of how Elizabeth had tried to save him before. She had begged him to leave her to Twigo. She had thrown herself between him and Gilthunder. She had stood up to Golgius when he had plotted to poison him. And now she had willingly given herself over to Holy Knight Ruin, had taken this terrible beating just to break the enchantment and save him.

Her actions had been so reckless, yet filled with love. Another Elizabeth, willing to die because she loved him. Meliodas sighed, wondering if he would ever deserve her.

Other memories began to surface, fighting one another as they danced inside of his mind, causing his head to pound. Elizabeth was crying over her soup. Elizabeth was sitting in the rain, a hole in the center of her chest, smiling at him through her tears. Elizabeth crying softly at his bedside, whispering to him to wake up. Elizabeth standing on the side of a hill, her light flowing outward and bathing the entire forest.

The memories became steadier and faster. Meliodas winced a bit. Was this still an enchantment? They were blending together in one brush stroke of longing and regret. Elizabeth smiling at him sweetly as she handed him the scabbard she fixed. Elizabeth slipping an arm around his neck and kissing his cheek. Elizabeth giggling at him as they sat in the ash tree. Her eyes widening in surprise when he revealed himself to be the Dragon Sin. Her voice shouting at him to hurry and stay focused. Her mouth sealing over his in a kiss that stole his breath away.

Elizabeth falling forward as a sword was pulled from her stomach. Elizabeth whispering to him before her eyes closed for the last time. Elizabeth crumbling to the ground, her jaw purple and her body covered in hundreds of little cuts.

 _Wait, stop, think_. Meliodas shook himself and looked at Elizabeth. Those memories were from the past, and he was _here_ , now. They were different girls, different times. She needed him _here_.

.o0o.

Meliodas couldn't remember running to the hillside. He could not remember hitting Estarossa, or screaming at the druids, or sending a wave of his power to destroy every single demon in the forest. The only thing he knew was kneeling in the grass, looking at Elizabeth.

She was still so beautiful, even in death, that he could have sworn she was sleeping. If not for the blood… and there was _so much_ blood. Meliodas had never been squeamish, had absolutely _reveled_ in the violence and gore of his work, his very bloodline. Yet as his eyes drifted down to the hole now in the druid's stomach, he felt his stomach roll and his hands begin to tremble.

He had never told her he loved her.

"Elizabeth," he choked, and when he felt salt on his lips, he was shocked to know they were tears. Had he ever cried before? Perhaps as a child… maybe…

 _Another first, because of her._

Hastily he wiped his cheeks with the back of his hand, and then reached up to brush his fingers along her forehead. Her skin was still a bit warm, but grew cooler by the second. Meliodas was struck dumb, his mind blank. He had had a plan. He was escaping to the other end of Britannia or even beyond. Now that Elizabeth was gone, he had no idea what to do.

Meliodas had never felt this before, because he had never loved before. He had never experienced _loss_.

He glanced up, looking around in a daze. His entire body felt empty, as if his blood had been drained, as if his very soul had been taken. Had it been? He looked up, squinting at the blue sky. Why was it so bright? It should be raining.

Again Meliodas looked at her body. He should move her, but where? Tentative hands went out to pick her up, but then he hesitated. What would she want? He could not leave her here, that was certain. What did druids do with their dead? He had killed so many, and never bothered to find out. If he weren't so empty, he could laugh at the irony.

Suddenly his heart seized. He couldn't move her, because then he would have to bury her. He'd have to say good-bye. It would mean she was gone. Gone, forever.

Frantically he looked up. Where were the druids? Maybe they could do something. They could _tell_ _him what to do_. His eyes scanned the bodies of the demons, their monstrous forms now just husks on the ground. Did he kill all of them? Did the druids perish in the blast of his wrath? Quickly Meliodas looked over his shoulder, searching for any sign of life, when his eyes slid to where his brother's body lay.

But Estarossa was not there.

Meliodas jumped to his feet. All at once, he knew _exactly_ what to do. He was going after him. After all of them, the Ten Commandments, the demon army, and make them pay. He was going to wipe their existence from Britannia, starting with his brother. Anger and hatred gave him a renewed strength, and he started forward.

He turned around, pulling up short at the sight of Zeldris. "Going somewhere?" Zeldris asked, his voice cold as ice. For a second, Meliodas narrowed his eyes. Zeldris would be next, but Estarossa was to die first.

Meliodas turned his back to him, and took a step forward. Suddenly it was as if his body was no longer his, and found he could not take another step. "Something wrong?" Zeldris laughed behind him. "Are you on your way somewhere? You should not have turned your back on me, brother."

All at once, pain exploded in the side of his head. Meliodas felt himself fly backwards, landing in the dirt dozens of yards away. In a daze he turned his head, relieved to still be able to see Elizabeth. His arm reached out for her.

 _What are you doing?_ he screamed in his mind. He had to get up, to fight. To end Estarossa's existence. Again the idea gave him strength. He wanted to see Estarossa suffer. He wanted to hear Elizabeth's killer scream the way he did when he watched her die.

There was another blow to his head, then to his ribs. What was happening? He gathered his strength, pushing up from the ground to stand, when a sharp pain flared in his chest. Then another came, and another. This pain was unlike anything he had ever experienced, and with a slice of fear he looked down.

There were three blades sticking out of his chest, each one embedded in one of his hearts, he knew. Fury suddenly filled him and he looked up to see Estarossa standing over him. "You—!" was all he managed to choke out, and then he was sinking, the last of his energy and power bleeding from his body.

"You really have to learn how to control that wrath of yours," Estarossa's voice chided him. "Now look at what you've done."

Meliodas turned his eyes to Elizabeth, laying in the grass. His chest was screaming with pain and his head throbbed, but all he could focus on was her unmoving form. Another blade pierced another one of his hearts, and Estarossa said, "Did you really think you'd be able to get away with this?" His voice sounded twisted with pain, but that couldn't be. "Did you think you could betray me, betray _us_ , and just leave?"

Another knife, then another. Only one heart remained, and Meliodas winced, trying to take a breath. His fingers curled in the grass, and he thought about Elizabeth's hair. It was the first thing he had noticed about her, what felt like a lifetime ago in the forest. Her beautiful silver hair, that he had finally been able to run his fingers through when he had kissed her after being healed and when she had curled against him seeking comfort and when she had moved against him, sealing their bodies and souls together.

"Meliodas," Estarossa said softly. He crouched down beside him, but Meliodas kept his eyes only on Elizabeth. "Meliodas," he said again, harsher, but still the demon did not turn. Finally, he sighed. "I'm doing this for you, you know," his brother continued. "If I let the king get his hands on you, you would only be able to wish for death. Now, do you have anything to say?"

He opened his mouth, but only a choking sound came out. After a few moments, Estarossa said, "Nothing, then?"

"Eliza… beth…" Meliodas whispered. A light breeze blew by, and he watched her hair lift in the air.

With an angry snarl, Estarossa sent the final sword into him. The pain was intense, and immediate, and Meliodas' world went dark.

.o0o.

Meliodas took Elizabeth's hand in his. The other stroked her bruised cheek, his fingertips grazing lightly over the skin. Then he slipped them through her hair, brushing the silver locks as he pushed her bangs to the side. "Elizabeth," he said softly. "The promise you made me, to never stop fighting? I understand now. I accept it."

Sadly, he smiled. Her breathing was solid, and regular, and he could feel her heart beating. She was going to be fine. The knowledge that he was not going to lose her filled him with a profound sense of relief.

Pain suddenly exploded in the side of his head. "He who strikes first wins!" Ruin shouted. Meliodas flew through the air, not even trying to stop himself. His body bounced along the ground, but he did not fight it. The pain was clearing away the memories that had been gathering like dust in his mind.

"To think you would show your back to an enemy!" the knight roared behind him. "The Seven Deadly Sins have certainly lost their edge!"

 _Gotta remember to stop doing that_. The side of the knight's weapon came down, catching him in the chest. It struck him so hard, the ground broke beneath him. Then Ruin lifted him, his hand gripping him by the face. "Ridiculous," Ruin scoffed. "To think the entire kingdom is terrified of a child."

Meliodas would have laughed, but then he remembered that the hand that now gripped him was the same that had been raised against Elizabeth. That hand was responsible for her pain. That hand had delivered the bruises and drawn the blood that now covered her body.

Yes, the memories were gone. All that was left was the sharp focus as he raised his fist and punched the Holy Knight across the face.

.o0o.

Meliodas opened his eyes. It was dark, incredibly dark. Slowly he looked around, wondering where he was.

He reached out a hand and felt smooth rock. It was cold and dusty against his skin, and so unlike the soft grass he had been expecting. Meliodas sat up with a wince, expecting his head and his body to hurt with the effort, but to his surprise, he felt fine.

Instantly he looked down. The swords were gone, his body completely healed. For a moment, his heart leapt, wondering if somehow Elizabeth was alive and had healed him. Eagerly he scrambled to his feet, but then stopped to look around in horror as his eyes adjusted to the dim light.

He was in some kind of cave, surrounded by thick walls of rock. Stalactites pointed down accusingly at him. A sense of dread filled him as he looked around, his eyes finally landing on a shadow that filled one corner of the cave.

The energy was at once familiar, the power overwhelming. "Meliodas, my son."

"What is this?" he bit out in response. "Where am I?"

"Come now, Meliodas," the demon king said. "You've never been so harsh the other times."

Meliodas clenched his fists. "What other times? What is this place?"

"Haven't you ever wondered," asked the king, " _why_ you are the most powerful demon in existence?"

Meliodas did not answer. A heavy silence hung between father and son, and when the king spoke again, his voice slid over him, making his skin crawl. "Stubborn as ever. But I know you are curious, so I will tell you. Each time you die, you come here. This is Purgatory." Meliodas swallowed thickly. "I created this place to capture your soul. Then I can feed on you, and drink in your emotions."

"You _what_?!" he shouted, anger rising quickly through him. His demon mark snapped out in a black flame, covering his forehead and spiraling down his arms.

"No need for that temper," the king replied evenly. "By draining your emotions, I leave you with only your strength. That makes you sharper, stronger, and more powerful. You are the product of _my_ doing. I have made you into _my_ tool of fear and destruction."

Shaking with anger, the demon ground out, "I am _nothing_ to you now. Zeldris told me—"

"An unfortunate repercussion from your betrayal, nothing more," answered the king. "You left your command and abandoned your responsibilities. You betrayed your own kind by giving secrets to the enemy." Meliodas started in surprise, and the king gave a raspy laugh. "You think I did not know? My Eye of Truth shows me all."

Meliodas took a deep breath. "Then you know the reason why."

"I do. I cannot say I'm not disappointed." Then the king's voice took on a hint of amusement. "At first I thought it was all an act. But then I realized you had no idea who she really was. How amazing. You really did fall in love with that girl."

"I will kill you if I have to," Meliodas said angrily, but the king cut him off. "Nonsense! Once I drain your emotions, I will send you back. You won't remember any of this, and you certainly won't remember that girl of yours. You'll be stronger than ever, and you will follow my command to destroy the goddess clan once and for all."

With a shout, Meliodas prepared to fight, but he found his body suddenly filled with an agonizing burn. "What—what is this—" he choked, struggling to breathe through the pain.

"Be thankful, Meliodas," the king said. "I am returning you to your body even stronger than before. In exchange, your emotions will extend my life and my power. It's a more than fair trade."

Meliodas fell to his hands and knees, his teeth gritting against the boiling sensation inside of him. It felt as though his very soul was on fire. He closed his eyes, bracing himself against the pain. How many times had his father done this? He wondered if he had ever objected before. What emotions did the king even find inside him, before? Anger, hatred, loathing, for certain. Hubris. Savagery. Bloodthirstiness.

A drop of water splashed on the ground, right below his line of vision, and Meliodas was shocked to realize it was a tear. His chest tightened in agony.

But the twisting inside of him snapped his focus away from the burning pain in his veins. He had to find a way to fight. He had to find a way to stop this from happening. Because this time, he wanted to keep his emotions. He needed his memories. They were the last of Elizabeth he had, would ever have. He could not lose her again.

"What is this?" the king shouted suddenly. "This… this is nothing like before." The burning stopped, and Meliodas panted in relief. He struggled to stand, pulling himself up on shaking legs. "You can't do this to me!" he screamed into the cavern.

"On the contrary," the demon king replied. "These new emotions and memories are _much_ more satisfying than anything you have given me before."

Meliodas roared in anger. He ran forward, wanting to strike him, to _hurt_ him somehow, but he stumbled as weakness overcame him. The demon fell again, holding onto a stalagmite to steady himself. "I can see you returning to your former self already," the king said.

He shook with anger, closing his eyes as another tear dripped down his cheek. _Elizabeth, forgive me_ , he thought. But then to his surprise, the king went on, "I think this time, I will leave you with your memories of this girl."

Meliodas snapped his head up in shock. "Falling in love has bolstered your strength, which has in turn proven to be more satisfying for my own needs. You will return to your body, and I will leave you with your memories so you can experience this again. We _both_ can."

With a heaving breath, Meliodas laughed. "You are a fool," he said bitterly, even as he shook with laughter. "I will never love another." The sound of his laughing echoed in the chamber. The king was silent for a long while, leaving Meliodas to shake with the sickening sound, tears streaming down his face. "I won't fall in love again!"

Finally, the king spoke. "If you say you will only love her, then so be it. _I curse you, Meliodas_." The demon's back stiffened in anticipation of the king's next words. "I curse you to see this girl again and again. You will find a living girl that reminds you so much of her, that you cannot help but fall in love again. Then, when you die, I will be able to feast upon all of these emotions."

His mind filled with the horror of this sentence. Meliodas would give _anything_ to see Elizabeth again. But just a form of her? A reminder? And to fall in love with her again would be so incredibly easy… only to end up here, to feed the demon king and make him stronger. "Then I won't die!" Meliodas shouted. "I won't return here!"

"All things must die," the king said simply. Then the burning returned, and Meliodas screamed as he was returned to live without Elizabeth.


	15. Chapter 15

**A/N:** Thank you very much for reading this story. I have published the last two chapters (14 and 15) at once because they were ready, and I was too excited to wait. I started this story many months ago before many of the secrets of Meliodas and Elizabeth were revealed, and this story has evolved as those things came to light. I hope that you find this ending satisfying.

Writing this story has been sometimes a battle of wills on my part. I had challenged myself to do something different and tell my own interpretation of the manga. I hope I was successful, and that you all enjoyed the journey.

There are a few people I need to thank for their help and work on this story. First, I'd like to thank my co-author, DOMinMatrix. She and I collaborated on the first half of this story, and writing with her was an experience I will never forget. I learned a great deal about myself working with her, and I'll be forever grateful for helping me grow as a writer. Even though life ended up causing us to part ways, I wish her the very best and my deepest, sincerest thanks for her ideas, her words, and her enthusiasm for this story.

I also must thank two very dear friends, without whom this story would have never been finished. Cerulean Grace gave me the encouragement I needed to embrace this story and tell it in the way that I wanted. Thank you so much for listening to me work through everything and pushing me to publish. Also, Woundedowl served as my sounding board, proofreader, and guinea pig. Her feedback, honesty and earnestness in helping me polish chapters has been invaluable, and I am so, so grateful for all of your work.

Please enjoy this final chapter (and make sure you read chapter fourteen first). Thank you to all of you who have stuck with this story and followed it for so long. I'm very humbled by you.

.o0o.

With a great deal of satisfaction, Meliodas watched Ruin disappear in the distance. The cold, calculating side of him had taken over, and with a blank expression he walked with a steady pace towards the Holy Knight. His body had skimmed along the ground, bouncing as it crashed again and again, but he felt no satisfaction at this. In fact, he felt very little at that moment.

When he reached he knight, he struck him again. Once more, Ruin went flying, and again, Meliodas stalked after him. The demon did not often allow his emotions to shut off the way they had in this moment. It was too easy to return to that _thing_ he had been three thousand years before. Only through being aware of his body and mind, of keeping a careful control on his emotions, did he maintain a balance between demon and knight.

Ruin came to a stop. Baste Dungeon was in sight now, and Meliodas continued forward. Soldiers were shouting now: "What was that? He just came flying out of nowhere!" But he paid no attention.

When he was steps away from the Holy Knight, he punched him again. Ruin crashed into the stone wall of the prison with a shout. The rest were yelling too, calling to the knight and demanding that he halt, but Meliodas only walked forward.

He watched with a bit of interest as Ruin pulled himself from the wreckage. This one was powerful, too. "You should draw your sword," he shouted at Meliodas. "You will hurt yourself if you try to destroy my armor!"

"Stop," the Dragon Sin said. The demon mark threatened to emerge, but he stood resolved to settle this without using that side of him. He would defend Elizabeth without resorting to that part of himself; a part that he never, ever wished for her to see.

"You won't draw your sword then?" Ruin screamed. Meliodas did not answer, and he yelled, "Fine then! As you wish, I will bring you ruin…"

There were more blows exchanged, and he heard the Holy Knight laugh, convinced he had done away with the captain of the Seven Deadly Sins. He boasted about his strength, and suddenly Meliodas was tired. He wanted to get back to Elizabeth and check on her. He wanted to be there when she woke up, and this knight was wasting his time.

With an elbow, he struck the knight in the stomach. He was still too angry to trust himself to punch him again, but the move was enough. Ruin went flying backwards into the prison, the wall collapsing on top of him. Meliodas knew that he would survive if he was as resilient has he had claimed. There was a part of him that absolutely hated this, because it reminded him too much of his former self. But there was also a part of him that was deeply satisfied.

"There's no way around it," he explained. "You hurt someone important to me." _Someone I love_ , he thought to himself. His chest tightened with the idea, but there was no point in denying it any longer. "And that is your sin."

.o0o.

Meliodas sat quietly on the cliffside, watching the sun go down. He was back in Britannia as the king had promised. At first, he had been glad. Now he could exact the revenge that he had wanted against the Ten Commandments and the demon clan. But the pain of losing Elizabeth was proving to be more overwhelming than he had first predicted.

The sky was beautiful, deep set in oranges as the sun lowered. But it felt empty, just as he felt empty. Elizabeth was dead. He had failed to protect her, had broken his promise. Yet the world around him was still moving. It felt almost unnatural.

Soft footfalls in the grass behind him caught his attention, and Meliodas took a deep breath before turning to the person approaching.

Meliodas was grateful that she did not speak at first. Instead, the druid leader stood a few feet away, allowing her presence to be company enough. He didn't deserve her condolences. She should have been just as enraged. She should have avenged her fallen comrade. Instead, this woman was offering her sympathies to him.

 _If only I had never laid my eyes on her…_

Strangely, no matter how hard he tried, no matter how much he wanted to, he could not find it in himself to regret meeting Elizabeth. From the moment she stumbled into his life, she had filled a void he didn't even know existed. Made him feel whole in ways he never imagined he would. Now that she was gone… her absence left an emptiness in his very soul. An emptiness that was fueling a growing heat in his blood.

He hated himself for failing her, but he was not the one who had sliced his sword through her heart. No, that was Estarossa's sin.

The thought of his brother brought a raging fire in his blood that he feared would never be extinguished. Getting close to the Commandment would prove difficult if he did not get control of his wrath. "Even you can't fight all of them," he whispered to himself, his voice catching even as he smiled sadly.

The druid leader sighed heavily, eyes searching the horizon as if all of the possible outcomes were written there in the sky, "So… we cannot possibly win," she said. It was not a question, and her tone gave away her hopelessness.

"I didn't say that," he responded, finding his voice growing more determined. The druid's confused gaze fell on him. "But you can't kill them."

"Then how—"

"There is a way," Meliodas said, cutting her off. "But before I tell you, tell me first about Elizabeth. What do I not know?"

Lady Jenna hesitated for a moment before saying, "Elizabeth is the Apostle, the most powerful druid of our kind. _Was_ , I should say. She had the power to turn the demon army. We—we didn't know exactly what that meant." Jenna turned and scanned the horizon. "I suppose we understand now."

Meliodas nodded. "She was able to stop the red demons herself."

"No, that's not it." He turned and looked at her with a frown, and the druid hurried on, "I mean, yes, she did that. She was able to calm the demons so they submitted to her will. But I think…" Nervously her eyes darted to the demon. "I think her true purpose was… you."

Quickly standing, Meliodas bit out, "What are you talking about?" She hesitated again, and he took a step forward. "What are you not telling me?"

She drew a deep breath. "The purpose of the Apostle is to save us from the demons. That's all. Once her duty is completed, then…"

The unspoken words hung heavy around him. "You were meant to fall in love with her. You were meant to leave the demon clan behind. With you out of the equation, we have a chance now of defeating them." Jenna drew another breath and said, "When we need to harness the power of the goddesses, an Apostle is born. And one day, when we need to fight again, Elizabeth will be reborn. _That_ was her purpose."

"That was her _purpose_?!" he shouted at the druid. His hand twitched as he tried not to draw his sword and end her life. "Elizabeth is more than just your tool. She is more than just your Apostle! She—she—" His voice was shaking with rage, but Meliodas could not care.

Turning away, Meliodas looked down at his hands. These hands had held a sword that had ended countless lives, had struck and hurt more people than he could even count, had harmed and ruined and destroyed. He was a pawn of the demon king, just like Elizabeth had been a pawn of the goddesses. "She didn't know, did she?" he whispered.

"No," Jenna answered firmly. "Neither did I. Suspected, yes. But there was no way to know for sure—"

"Enough," Meliodas said bitterly. He still stared at his hands, these hands that had taken so much. But he had also used them to protect her, and to brush away her tears, and to hold her against him. He knew he was more than just the tool of the demon king, just like Elizabeth was more than the Apostle. She had taught him that, and he would live up to her belief in him.

.o0o.

Meliodas sat by Elizabeth's bedside, watching her sleep. Her body was wrapped tightly from the wounds she had suffered in the battle at the capital. "She's not waking up at all," Hawk whined. He was so tiny now, he could fit on the pillow beside her head.

"Yeah," he sighed. Meliodas looked down at the floor, folding his arms, his elbows on his knees.

"But I thought Elizabeth healed you and everyone else with some amazing power!" Hawk squealed. "Why doesn't she just heal herself?"

"Because the princess' power activates unconsciously," said a voice behind them, causing Meliodas to start.

Glancing over his shoulder, he gave her a half-hearted greeting, but Hawk insisted, "That doesn't explain why she won't heal herself!"

"The problem lies in the princess' mind," Merlin explained. "Whatever power she has left she will disperse to those around her."

Hawk sniffled. "I keep telling her to stop worrying about everyone, and take care of herself!"

Meliodas looked back at Elizabeth. Now that he knew for sure she was the Apostle, he was twisted with anxiety. Would she succumb now to her injuries, as he watched her die, again? They had defeated Hendrickson and destroyed the New Generation who sought to raise the demon clan. Isn't that what she had come back for? Isn't that why the Apostle had been reborn?

And if it wasn't, and she lived, what else could there be?

He shivered suddenly, thinking of what the future could hold. But it didn't matter to him, as long as Elizabeth lived. This time, he would not fail her.

He had kept himself alive all this time, three thousand years from when Estarossa had killed him. It had been three thousand years since he learned the truth of who he was, and how he had been used over and over to sustain the power of the demon king. Even though the demons had been sealed away, he knew that his death would return him to Purgatory; but Meliodas would _not_ allow the demon king to use him again.

It was easy, once the Ten Commandments were gone, to keep himself alive all this time. There was nothing left in Britannia that could match his strength or his power.

Well, nothing _could_ , until Merlin had stolen his power from him.

"Merlin, step out with me? I need to ask you about something." She nodded and they walked into the hallway, where Meliodas hesitated. "Actually can you wait for me out here? I think I forgot something." The pig yelped a protest, but in a flash Meliodas was back inside the princess' room with the door closed tightly behind him.

Slowly, almost reverently, he approached the bed. Meliodas struggled to breathe, watching her. He blinked a few times, willing the tears back, and he swallowed thickly around the lump in his throat as he took his place beside her.

There were many, many girls that had come and gone over the years since her death. His father's curse had worked _too_ well. Or, maybe his love for her was too strong. But Elizabeth haunted him every day. He saw her everywhere, thought of her every morning when he woke up, every night when he laid in his bed.

Time and time again he would cross paths with a woman that bore such a strong resemblance to the druid he fell in love with that it would cause him pain. He would hear her laugh, or see her blue eyes, or learn her name, and all of his memories of her would come flooding back. The twist in his chest was always agonizing, but also bittersweet. It was like she was never really gone, and for a moment, he could pretend that she had returned to him for real.

But when he had met Liz, and looked in her eyes for the first time, the _surety_ had hit him like a blow. Liz was the Apostle of the Goddesses, and the weight of that was nearly crushing. Lady Jenna had said that she would only be reborn because they needed to fight the demons. But the demons had been gone for three millennia, so why was she there? What work was there to do?

Meliodas had forgotten to wonder for long, because he had fallen for her again, even faster and harder than before. She was so different from the Elizabeth he knew, but her spirit called to his. He did everything within his power to get close to her, and to his delight and relief, she returned his love. This was his chance to be with her the way he had always imagined. Meliodas made sure to tell her as often as possible that he loved her, learning from his mistakes.

Liz was as unaware of her powers as Elizabeth had been. So he watched her, waiting, as they lived and worked beside one another. Then Danafor was attacked, and she was killed by Fraudrin. Meliodas figured that was why she had been reborn… but then she reincarnated again, immediately and with a devastating force of power. It exploded and destroyed Danafor, and he had found his Elizabeth in the rubble. As he had stood in the crater holding her in his arms, Meliodas could see how wrong he had been.

"Elizabeth?" he said softly, taking her hand in his. He brushed his fingertips against her hair. He had continued believing she was not really the Apostle, until her light had healed them and driven back the demon Hendrickson had become. It seemed so impossible, even with all of the clues and events that had led them to this point. Liz's death and rebirth had ended his hope that she was the Apostle, returned to him again.

But it wasn't the end. Meliodas shook his head, turning all of this over in his mind. He was such a _fool_. In three thousand years, he hadn't learned a thing. The Apostle still had work to do, so she was was reborn immediately. That's why Elizabeth had come back. Meliodas had thought that she couldn't be the Apostle after all because there _were no demons to fight_. She was just another one of the girls that had drifted into his life as a result of his father's curse, making him love and lose all over again.

That's what he had decided, anyway. Because he had no idea a red demon had escaped the seal to destroy the Fairy King's Forest. That this demon would one day be used to find a gray demon, long dead, and give birth to a new generation of Holy Knights. That a new and terrifying threat would rise in Britannia, wanting to gather the Coffin and break the seal on the entire clan.

The Apostle had been immediately reborn because there was still work to be done, but Meliodas did not realize it at the time. He had taken the blame for Danafor's destruction because he had failed to protect Liz, who was the closest he had ever found to the Elizabeth he once loved. He did not understand why she had been reborn in such a devastating way, but Meliodas had never assumed to understand everything.

Now, the truth was revealed. She _was_ the Apostle of the Goddesses. His Elizabeth. There was no denying it now.

The elation he had felt seeing her like that, the power flowing from her as it had the day she was killed, confirming what his heart had long suspected, was dampened with a sinking dread. If Elizabeth was still alive… it meant there were more threats on the horizon.

But he would worry about that later. Right now, he needed her, and she needed him.

"Elizabeth," he said softly. Meliodas leaned in closer, knowing she could hear him. Her soul would always answer him, just as his would answer hers. "If you disappear from my life, I'll have no reason to live." He could not do it again, he could not watch her die _again_. It would destroy him, and all the work he had done to stay out of his father's reach, to keep from feeding the demon king's power, would have been for nothing.

He knew the love he had in his heart now would be enough to break his father from the seal. He had loved Elizabeth enough for lifetimes upon lifetimes. He had met a shadow of her over and over before finally getting to hold her, the _real_ her, in his arms again. Seeing Liz reincarnate had convinced him she was not the Apostle after all, and that idea had kept him from death. Meliodas had been able to go on, believing that he needed to continue to wait to find the _real_ Elizabeth again.

Then, the princess had crashed into his bar. She showed him again what it was to need another person. If he died now, and returned to Purgatory, the demon king would have immeasurable power to draw from. Because this was Elizabeth, the girl he had been waiting for, for three thousand years. Her innocence and grace and beauty and spirit had made him fall in love with her again.

Meliodas knew that his love for her would never die.

"So, please," he whispered. "Live for me." He placed his mouth on hers, kissing her softly. She stirred beneath him, and Meliodas smiled.

Elizabeth had saved his life, again.


End file.
